The Lost Charmed One
by Daicy
Summary: Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were raised together. They never knew about Prue. However, as if by chance, the three sisters meet Prue and seek her for help. How are their personalities different? How will they react to finding out they have an older sister? How will Prue react to finding out that she has sisters?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed, or any of its characters. No copyright intended.

**A/N:** The plot goes along the idea that Prue is the sister that the Halliwells never knew, instead of Paige. This first chapter is only an introduction to explain why the sisters do not know that Prue exists.

* * *

**Chapter One**

**1970** **– San Francisco General Hospital**

'Here is your beautiful baby girl,' said the doctor, presenting the baby to Patty and Victor.

Patty took hold of her first born daughter who was wrapped in a blanket.

'Look at her, Victor,' said Patty smiling.

The baby girl grabbed one of her mother's fingers.

'She is so beautiful,' said Victor. 'Do you still want to name her Prudence?'

Tears of joy were running down Patty's cheeks. The baby squinted at a box of tissues and a tissue came flying over to Patty. Victor took hold of the tissue before any member of the hospital staff could notice that it was floating and he used it to wipe the tears from his wife's face.

Patty nodded in reply to Victor's question. 'Yes. Prudence Halliwell.'

'Mrs. Halliwell, we need to take Prudence for a minute,' said the doctor. 'We will be back with her very quickly.'

'Why?' said Patty, holding Prue closer.

'There is nothing to worry about, Mrs. Halliwell,' said the doctor. 'We have to run a test on her to check that everything is well. We do not have that piece of equipment in this room though so we need to take her to the next room where there is one.'

'Honey, I will go with Prudence and the doctor,' said Victor.

Patty gave in and Victor took baby Prue from Patty's arms. The doctor and Victor left the hospital room with Prue, leaving Patty alone in the room.

Patty had just given birth to Prue. Penny Halliwell, Patty's mother, had been against the idea of a hospital birth. It was a well known fact that the first born in a family of witches would always be extremely powerful. Therefore, Penny had thought it would be best for Patty to have a home birth because there would be less risk of magic exposure. However, Patty and Victor had refused to have a home birth. For this reason, Penny had decided not to be present for the birth. Instead Penny had staid at the manor, working on a spell to make sure that no magic was exposed within the hospital during the baby's birth.

A nurse walked into the hospital room to check Patty's vitals. Everything was okay. The nurse left.

It had now been ten minutes since Victor had left with the doctor and baby Prue.

Patty was getting worried. She wanted Prue back in her arms.

Victor returned to the hospital room alone.

'Where is she?' asked Patty.

'The doctor is filling out the forms to discharge you from the hospital,' said Victor.

'No, not her. I am talking about our daughter. Our baby girl,' said Patty.

'Our baby girl?' said Victor puzzled.

'Yes! That is why we are here,' said Patty.

'Patty, you have been in the hospital for the past week suffering from stomach cramps,' said Victor. 'You have been recovering over the past few days. I thought the hallucinations caused by the fever had gone.'

Victor felt Patty's forehead, but she swatted his hand away.

'Stomach cramps! Stomach cramps! I have been pregnant for the past nine months and I gave birth this morning to our daughter,' shouted Patty.

'Patty, are you okay?' asked Victor, concerned. 'You were never pregnant.'

'Am _I_ okay? Am _I_ okay? _You_ are the one who cannot recall me giving birth to Prudence!' shouted Patty.

The doctor entered the room. 'Is everything okay?'

'Patty seems to be a little delusional right now,' said Victor worried. 'She thinks she just gave birth.'

The doctor looked concerned. 'Oh. That cannot be good. I thought her fever had gone down.'

'What fever? I am _not_ delusional. Where is my daughter?' shouted Patty.

'Mr. Halliwell, I think it might be a good idea if you leave,' said the doctor. 'I will not be discharging your wife just yet.'

Victor nodded. 'Bye, Patty. I will be back tomorrow morning. I will ask your mother to pop around later this afternoon to see you.'

Victor left the room.

'What is happening? Where is Prudence?' shouted Patty.

A nurse had walked in. The doctor muttered something to the nurse and the nurse came over to Patty, giving her an anaesthetic to calm her down.

Patty became unconscious.

When Patty woke up, she quickly became aware of her surroundings as the anaesthetic wore off. Therefore, Patty quickly remembered what had happened. Penny was sitting on a chair beside the bed.

'Mother,' said Patty. 'Where is my daughter? Why does no one remember her?'

Penny consoled Patty. Penny did not look pleased.

'I believe there has been magic at work,' said Penny.

'Are you trying to say that some demon altered my memories to make me believe I had a daughter?' said Patty in disbelief.

'No. The exact opposite,' said Penny. 'I have a feeling that the Elders have altered Victor's and the hospital staff's memories to make them believe that you never had a daughter.'

'Why would the Elders do that? Where have they taken Prudence?' shouted Patty, distressed.

'I don't know,' said Penny. 'I would like to find out. Sam has not been answering my calls.'

'He better answer mine,' said Patty. 'Sam! Sam!'

Nothing happened.

Patty sat up and looked up at the ceiling. 'Sam! Get down here now! Sam!'

In a flurry of orbs, Sam appeared in the hospital room. Guilt was visible on Sam's face. He knew why the two Halliwells had called for him.

'Sam,' said Patty, speaking slowly because she was so angry. 'What have the Elders done with my daughter?'

'Sam, answer her,' said Penny stubbornly.

Sam would not make eye contact with either Halliwell.

'The Elders decided to take her away from you,' said Sam slowly. He knew that the reaction to this reply would be fierce.

'_What_?' said both Patty and Penny Halliwell.

Sam went over to the hospital room door and locked it. As he walked back over to the bed, there were two glaring sets of eyes on him.

'You have to know that I am totally against their decision,' said Sam.

'Why did they take my first grandchild away?' said Penny.

Sam gulped. 'Apparently, the Elders suspect that Patty will bring the Charmed Ones into the world.'

'The Charmed Ones?' said Penny. 'I have heard of that prophecy. The Charmed Ones will be the three most powerful witches that the world has ever seen.'

'I have only one daughter,' said Patty. 'How can they know that I will have two more?'

'They refused to tell me what had led them to this idea,' said Sam.

'Even if Prudence was going to be the eldest of the three Charmed Ones,' began Penny. 'Why would they take her away?'

'The eldest child of a witch will always be the strongest,' said Sam.

'Yes, we know that,' said Penny.

'Well, if Prudence is also a Charmed One that will make her a target for the demons,' said Sam.

'The line of Warren witches has gone on this long and we have always been able to protect our young from demons without the Elders interfering like this,' said Penny furiously.

'Yes, but the Elders believed that it would be safest to bind Prudence's powers and have her brought up by a normal magic-free family. That will allow her to stay off the demon radar,' said Sam.

'How do they ever expect the Charmed Ones to be formed if they have separated the eldest from her own family?' said Penny angrily.

'The Elders said that if Patty's daughters do turn out to be the Charmed Ones, then destiny will take its path and the sisters will find each other,' said Sam.

Patty had been silent all this time, tears forming in her eyes.

'You can promise me that my daughter will be safe?' said Patty.

Sam nodded. 'Prudence will keep the same name and surname. The Elders have forbid me from telling you where she is, but I can tell you that I will always keep watch over her for you.'

Patty burst into tears. 'Why have the Elders done this to me?'

Sam leant forward to hug Patty, but Penny pushed him away. Penny sat on the hospital bed, trying to comfort her daughter.

* * *

**1972 – San Francisco General Hospital**

'Here is your beautiful baby girl,' said the doctor, presenting the baby to Victor and Patty.

The doctor wrapped the baby girl in a blanket and gave her to Patty to hold.

'She is so sweet,' said Patty as the baby girl opened her eyes.

'What are you going to name her?' said the doctor as he wrote some notes down on his clipboard.

'We have not discussed names yet,' said Victor.

Patty had been putting off the baby name discussion ever since she had found out that she was pregnant. She was so worried that the Elders would take this child away too.

'Well, I want it to start with a P,' said Patty.

'How about Prudence?' said Victor. 'You always wanted to use that name.'

'No,' said Patty. The memory of her first baby stung. Patty began to well up, but Victor mistook her tears for tears of joy.

'You always used to love that name,' said Victor.

'She does not look like a Prudence,' said Patty.

'Okay,' said Victor. 'What name do you think will suit her?'

'How about Piper?' said Patty.

'That is a beautiful name,' said the doctor.

Victor smiled. 'Welcome to the world, Piper Halliwell.'

'Okay. I just need to run some tests on little Piper,' said the doctor.

'Don't take her away from me!' said Patty, memories of Prue's birth coming back to haunt her.

'Don't worry,' said the doctor. 'I can fetch a porter to bring the equipment in here.'

The doctor left the room. Patty and Victor were now in the hospital room alone with Piper.

'I cannot believe we finally have our first child,' said Victor, smiling at his daughter.

That sentence upset Patty. However, at the same time, she was happy to be able to hold someone in her arms that she could call her daughter.

Victor took a tissue from his pocket to wipe away his own tears.

Baby Piper raised her hands and the tissue exploded.

Victor was shocked. 'Since when was that a family power?'

'I… I don't know,' said Patty. She had known that Prudence had received the power of telekinesis. Therefore, she had been expecting Piper to have the ability to freeze (the power that Patty possessed) or the power of premonition.

'Do you think Sam can explain this?' said Victor. He hated it when Patty called Sam for help. However now that magic would be concerning his child, he wanted explanations more than ever before, and Sam was the only person who could provide them.

'I… I don't know,' said Patty. She was too fascinated by Piper to care. She watched as baby Piper stared back at her.

Before Victor could persuade Patty to call Sam, the doctor had returned with the correct equipment.

Within an hour, Victor, Patty, and Piper had left the hospital to return to Halliwell manor.

* * *

**1975 – Halliwell Manor**

Patty went into labour too fast to be taken to the hospital. Therefore, to Penny's delight, Patty was going to have to have a home birth.

Victor had taken little Piper out to get an ice cream so as Piper did not have to watch her mother in pain. Piper was too young to understand how babies came into the world and they did not want to traumatise her.

Once the baby was out, Penny wrapped her in a towel and allowed Patty to hold her.

'She's a girl,' said Penny.

Patty smiled. 'Yes. And she has the power of premonition.' Patty remembered how this daughter had shared a premonition with Patty from within the womb.

'What are you going to name her?' asked Penny.

'Victor and I had agreed on Phoebe,' said Patty.

Penny smiled.

'So, you have had three daughters,' said Penny. 'The first with the power of telekinesis, the second with the power of molecular combustion, and the third with premonition powers.'

'Does that go along with the prophecy of the Power of Three?' asked Patty.

Penny nodded. 'It is in the Book of Shadows. The three phases of the moon: feeling, time, and phases of the moon.'

'Prudence's telekinesis was feeling. And I understand that Phoebe's premonitions are the phases of the moon,' said Patty. 'How can Piper's molecular combustion power be time? She should have the power to freeze like me.'

'Sam explained it to us after Piper's birth, remember?' said Penny.

'I know. The Elders told him that Piper's molecular combustion works on speeding up the molecules. That is how Piper's power relates to 'time'. What I do not understand is why she does not have my power to freeze.'

'Destiny works in mysterious ways,' said Penny.

'Now that it is clear that my daughters make up the Power of Three, do you think the Elders will let us have Prudence back?' asked Patty.

'You know they won't let you.'

Patty and Penny looked up to see Sam in the room.

'Don't you knock when you orb?' said Penny irritably.

'Sorry,' said Sam.

'Why won't the Elders give her back?' said Patty. 'They are dividing a family.'

'Like I told you five years ago, the Elders said that if these three are the Charmed Ones, destiny will bring them back together,' said Sam. 'Right now, Prudence is still safe. Without Prudence here, Piper and –'

'Phoebe,' said Patty.

Sam resumed his sentence. 'Without Prudence here, Piper and Phoebe are safe from threat of demon attack.'

They heard the front door open and shut, followed by hurried feet on the staircase.

Victor entered the room first. 'Is it okay for Piper to come in?'

Patty nodded.

Victor held the door open and Piper ran in.

'Meet your little sister, Piper,' said Victor.

'What's her name?' said Piper.

'Phoebe,' smiled Patty.

'So I am not an only child anymore?' said Piper.

Patty, Sam, and Penny did not reply. Piper's sentence had made their thoughts turn to Prue.

'No,' laughed Victor.

Victor took baby Phoebe in his arms and smiled at her.

Piper noticed Sam was in the room. 'Hi Uncle Sam! What are you doing here?'

'I was wondering the same thing,' said Victor, all delight had drained from his expression.

'I wanted to make sure that the birth went well,' said Sam. 'I will be off now.'

'I will see you out,' said Victor coldly, following Sam out of the room.

Piper followed them out, not wanting to let her baby sister out of her sight.

Penny and Patty were now in the room alone.

'What is going on between you and Sam?' asked Penny.

'What do you mean, mother?' asked Patty.

'I am not daft, Patty,' said Penny. 'Even Victor has noticed the tension between you and Sam.'

* * *

**1977 – Halliwell Manor**

Penny had managed to get Piper and Phoebe to go to bed. Sam had staid by Patty's side while she gave birth to their daughter.

Sam held their baby daughter in his arms.

'Paige,' he said, looking at her.

When Patty told Sam that she was pregnant with his baby, they had immediately agreed on a name.

Penny walked into the room. 'Is this my fourth granddaughter?'

Penny and Sam nodded.

Baby Paige let out a sneeze. As she sneezed, she orbed out of Sam's arms. Less than a second later, Paige had orbed back into his arms.

'Aaww,' said Patty. 'Paige is the cutest little thing.'

'You have to hurry up and decide what you are going to do,' said Penny. 'If you don't want the Elders to find out about your forbidden relationship, you are going to have to give Paige up.'

Sam and Patty exchanged glances.

'I am not losing another daughter because of those Elders,' said Patty.

'I agree,' said Sam. 'I don't care if they clip my wings. The Elders are not splitting this family up again.'

'I think you did that when you decided to have an affair,' said Penny coldly.

'Mother!' said Patty.

'Sorry, dear. After a statement like that, Sam was asking for it,' said Penny.

Sam shook his head. 'I never purposefully stole Patty from Victor. It just happened. Victor did not have to completely desert the girls either, but he did. Besides you never even liked Victor, Penny!'

'Can we get back to the main issue?' said Patty. 'I do not want to lose another daughter to the Elders.'

'I know, honey,' said Sam. 'That is why we won't let that happen.'

The door opened. A five year old Piper and an almost two year old Phoebe poked their heads in.

'Where's our new sister?' asked Piper.

'I want to see the baby!' said Phoebe.

'We thought she might want to have my old stuffed bear,' said Piper, holding up a toy bear.

Sam held Paige up so as she could see her two older sisters and the toy bear.

Paige held out her hand and gurgled a little. In a flurry of blue orbs, the toy bear disappeared from Piper's hand and reappeared in Paige's outstretched hand.

Piper smiled. 'Yay. She loves Mr. Teddy Bear!'

'I want that power!' whined Phoebe.

Penny shooed Piper and Phoebe from the room, saying 'Get to bed. It is late. You can see Paige in the morning.'

When Penny closed the door, she turned to see Sam looking distressed. Patty was looking at Sam.

'Have the Elders just called for you?' asked Patty.

Sam nodded. 'I think they know about Paige. Penny, I have to take Patty and Paige up there with me. Will you be okay looking after the girls?'

Penny nodded.

Sam orbed out of the room with Patty and Paige.

After a rampant discussion with the Elders, a decision was made. The Elders were going to clip Sam's wings as punishment. The Elders also requested that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige's powers were bound (including Paige's white lighter abilities). As long as Patty and Sam kept to these conditions, the Elders would allow them to remain a couple and to keep Paige.

After accepting the conditions, the Elders transported Sam, Patty, and Paige back to Halliwell manor.

'I will ask mother to start writing the power binding spell now,' said Patty.

'Patty,' said Sam, who was now human again. 'Now that I am no longer a white lighter, I cannot keep watch over Prudence.'

'I know,' said Patty.

In order to keep one daughter, she had had to sacrifice any connection with the daughter she hardly knew.

Patty left the room to give Penny the news while Sam placed Paige in her cot.

Sam sighed. 'You, Piper, and Phoebe will never know of your big sister, Prudence Halliwell.'

* * *

**A/N:** An explanation of why Piper has molecular combustion instead of freezing?: Without Prue as a Charmed One, one of the sisters needs the offensive power. Don't worry, Piper is going to develop the freezing power just before they reunite with Prue.

One shot? Or continue with more?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This chapter will summarise the first two seasons of Charmed and then the most of season three will be summarised. I will stop summarising, and start writing a proper story when I get to the end of season three. I am not doing season rewrites. This just shows how it would have been different if it were Paige instead of Prue from the beginning. Prue should make an appearance in the chapter after this one.

I want to add right now that I hate it when their ages do not add up with the dates. If only the show could have kept their ages constant, because the ages I am giving them in this do not add up to the ages that are mentioned in the canon season one, but are correct with the year of births (which never remain constant!). Rant over. Now for the chapter:

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**1998**

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had grown up in the manor together with Grams raising them. When they were little, their mother and Sam (father to Paige, called 'uncle' by Piper and Phoebe) had died. Piper and Phoebe could not remember much of their own father in their lives as he had left just after Phoebe was born.

As the eldest sister, Piper had felt it was her duty to be responsible for her sisters. Therefore, instead of pursuing her dream of being a chef, she had settled for an office job. It bored her to death, but it was a stable income.

As the middle sister, Phoebe was close to both Piper and Paige. Phoebe found that she could confide in Piper. However, Phoebe had a close bond with Paige where they both had mischievous personalities that often led to them both being grounded a lot when they were teenagers. While Piper had gone straight from high school into work in order to help support Grams with the bills, Phoebe had decided to go to college and get herself a degree in psychology. However, since leaving college, she had mostly found herself doing temp jobs to earn money. Her main aim was to find a good exciting job based around her psychology degree.

As the youngest sister, Paige was in the last year of her social work course at the local college. Unlike Piper and Phoebe who had moved out of the manor and now shared a flat in another area of San Francisco, Paige still lived in the manor as she could not afford her own place.

When Grams became ill, Piper was twenty five, Phoebe was twenty three, and Paige was twenty one. Piper moved back in so as she could help around the house. Phoebe was a bit more reluctant to move back in, but she was unable to pay for the flat's rent without Piper's stable wages, so she was forced to give up the flat and move back in too. Paige was happy to have her sisters back home: it meant less chores for her to do by herself. However, at the same time, Paige began to remember how annoying it was having so much noise in one household.

After her death, all three sisters remained in the manor. Piper took time off work, spending most of the time locked up in her room. Jeremy – Piper's boyfriend – would hang around the house, trying to console Piper.

Paige buried herself in her social work textbooks. The college had told Paige that due to the extenuating circumstances, she could wait until the following semester to take her final exams. Paige had agreed to this, but she felt the need to hide away behind her textbooks anyway.

Therefore, Phoebe was left with no sister to talk to over the loss. She felt that she needed to confide in Piper, but Piper was unable to open up. Attempting to talk to Paige was impossible, as whenever Phoebe breached the topic, Paige would start pretending to read a social work textbook. Phoebe even tried talking to Jeremy about it, but he would always start asking Phoebe whether they ever went in the attic for some strange reason.

A few months after the death, there was a dark and stormy night. Jeremy was out working.

Piper was locked mourning in her room as usual.

Phoebe was lying on her own bed in her own room, playing around with the pointer on the old spirit board.

Paige was locked in her room reading textbooks as usual.

Phoebe had not seen the spirit board since she was little, but had managed to find it by mistake earlier that day. As she pushed the pointer around she asked herself rhetorically, 'Is there not a sister out there that I can talk to?'

Suddenly she felt the pointer take on its own life as the pointer moved to the 'P'. Phoebe jumped off her bed in shock as the pointer continued to move by itself to the letter 'R'.

Phoebe stared at the spirit board. Lightning caused the room to light up. Phoebe looked away from the spirit board and decided to look at the tree outside her bedroom window.

'_Maybe it was just a trick of the light_,' thought Phoebe.

After a few minutes, she sat back on her bed. The pointer was stationary on the letter 'E'.

Nothing else happened for a while. As lightning struck again Phoebe wondered whether there was anywhere she could go, somewhere that would get her sisters speaking again.

Suddenly the pointer began to move again. This time Phoebe started to note down the letters. 'A' followed by 'T' followed by 'T' followed by 'I', and lastly a 'C'. 'Attic'.

Suddenly the lights went out.

The three sisters each left their rooms meeting in the gloomy corridor.

'Wow, after months of managing to avoid each other within the same house, we are reunited by a power cut,' said Phoebe sarcastically, trying to take her mind off of the spirit board.

Ignoring Phoebe's sarcasm, Paige began to go downstairs.

'Where are you going, Paige?' said Piper.

Paige stopped and turned to Piper. Phoebe was also staring at Piper. This was the first they had heard Piper say for months.

'Piper?' said Paige.

'Paige, I may not have been the best big sister over these last few months, but I cannot let you go down there alone,' said Piper.

Paige smiled. 'I am not scared of the dark, Piper.'

Piper burst into tears. 'I am so sorry. Both of you. I have not been there for you.'

Phoebe and Paige exchanged startled looks, surprised at Piper's sudden outburst.

Phoebe and Paige hugged Piper.

'I am such a terrible big sister,' cried Piper. 'I just could not cope when she… when she…'

'It's okay, Piper,' said Paige. 'I closed off too. I have been avoiding any sort of conversation about it.'

'It's not your fault, Piper, or yours, Paige,' said Phoebe. 'It's mine. My attempts at trying to force you two to open up just pushed you further away.'

There was another strike of lightning, causing the sisters to break off the hug.

'I am going down to the basement to check the main circuit box,' said Paige.

'You can't go on your own,' said Piper. 'I will come with.'

As Piper and Paige began to walk down the stairs, Phoebe went in the opposite direction heading for the attic stairs.

Piper and Paige stopped.

'Er, Phoebe,' said Piper. 'After that big sisterly moment, I thought we would all be going downstairs.'

'Nope,' said Phoebe. 'I am going up to the attic.'

'Phoebe, that attic has always been locked,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but you two know I hate that basement,' said Phoebe. 'Plus the spirit board told me to go to the attic.'

Phoebe went up the steps to the attic. Piper and Paige exchanged worried glances.

'Did she just say the spirit board told her to go up there?' said Paige.

'I think she did,' said Piper.

'I think she may have lost it,' said Paige.

In the attic Phoebe had found the Book of Shadows and was reading the spell out loud – the spell that would release the Power of Three.

Immediately after this, Piper and Paige did not believe a word that Phoebe said about them being witches. All they cared about was how Phoebe had managed to open the attic door. However some strange events occurred over the next day.

Piper was in the office at work. She was getting stressed at how slow her computer was. Piper typed some words on the keyboard but the computer was so slow that the words had not appeared on the monitor yet. Piper held her hands up at the computer in distress. Suddenly the monitor exploded. Piper screamed in surprise. The smoke and fire from the small explosion had set off the sprinklers and the fire alarm. Work colleagues clambered around Piper's cubicle asking her what had happened, while others muttered about the office's faulty wiring. All Piper could think was 'I blew up the computer…'

Paige was writing notes in the middle of a lecture. She accidentally dropped her pen and it rolled out of reach. Paige did not want to get up in the middle of the lecture to retrieve it and had no other spares. 'My pen…' she muttered quietly. She watched in surprise as the pen disappeared in a swirl of blue orbs from the floor and reappeared in her hand. Paige was so surprised that she dropped her pen again.

After picking Phoebe up from the hospital, the three sisters discussed everything that had happened: Piper's exploding computer, Phoebe's premonition whilst cycling, and Paige's teleporting pen. Piper was the most reluctant to believe that they could be witches – mostly because she was worried about the idea of it. Paige was willing to listen but slightly uncertain about how magic could be real.

Their first experiences as witches continued with Piper finding out that Jeremy was a warlock, followed by Piper running into the manor shouting 'I blew Jeremy up!' This was then followed by a premonition that showed Phoebe that being blown up had not stopped Jeremy: he was on his way to the manor to kill them. This whole event ended with Jeremy's vanquishing thanks to the Power of Three.

* * *

**1998/1999**

Over the next year a lot happened in the lives of the three sisters. They met and vanquished many demons and warlocks. They met and saved many innocents.

Piper and Phoebe fought over Leo, their new handyman. Piper started dating Leo. Phoebe found out that Leo was a white lighter. As Phoebe now knew about him, Leo told Phoebe that Paige was part white lighter which explained a lot to Phoebe about Paige's ability to teleport herself with Piper and Phoebe to other places – something Leo called 'orbing'. When Phoebe told Piper and Paige, Piper did not believe her.

Paige believed Phoebe and wanted to confront Leo about it. However Leo had recently broken up with Piper telling her that he would not be back for a long time. Therefore Paige decided to use her white lighter abilities to find and confront Leo.

The annual event of Nicholas knocking on the manor door with flowers for Grams occurred. Piper wanted to blow the flowers up in Nicholas's face before he could drop them on the floor like he did every single year. However Phoebe and Paige talked her out of it. The three girls did not want to break the news to him that their Grams was no longer with them so just told him that she was not there. Nicholas left.

Paige was eventually successful in seeking out Leo. She sat at a café with him discussing everything. Suddenly Leo took her hand and orbed onto a busy street as he had sensed that a charge of his needed him. Paige observed as the whole scene took place. Leo told Daisy that she would be safe from the dark lighter and then the dark lighter appeared and shot Leo with his arrow. Paige orbed Leo back to the attic in the manor. She attempted to heal him but could not get her powers to work.

Leo had told her that morning that she was only half white lighter and therefore some of her powers would be weaker than the same powers found in an average white lighter. Paige had accepted this fact, but was dismayed that this meant that her healing powers would not be powerful enough to save Leo.

Piper and Phoebe had heard the commotion in the attic so had come up to find out what was going on. Paige explained everything about Leo and Daisy. Piper decided to try a power switch spell and the day soon ended with Piper admitting she loved Leo, Piper healing Leo, and Phoebe and Paige saving Daisy from the dark lighter.

By the end of that year, Piper quit her job at the office, Phoebe was still moving between temporary jobs, and Paige had successfully passed her social work exams. All three were looking forward to what new challenges would come their way.

* * *

**1999/2000**

Their second year of being witches was just as interesting. The Book of Shadows was stolen, so when Jeremy turned up at the newly bought P3, Piper was surprised and able to return to the manor shouting 'I blew Jeremy up!' again. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were soon able to figure out how to get the Book back and vanquish all the returning demons and warlocks in the process.

When the dog walker let his dog do its business on the Halliwell's front lawn _again_, Phoebe encouraged Paige to telekinetically orb the dogs waste closer to the man's feet. Piper then caused the waste to explode all over the man's feet. This was closely led by a time travelling episode in order to find out why Phoebe was being burnt at a stake in 2009.

There was more drama in Piper and Leo's relationship. This included the appearance of Dan and the loss and regain of Leo's white lighter abilities.

Phoebe found her next temporary job as a counsellor at a camp that was just about to be opened back up. This camp happened to be the one that the three sisters had gone to many summers in a row when they were little, before it was closed down. Phoebe's new job led to the three sisters finding out how their mother and Sam had died. Patty had been trying to stop the water demon with Sam's help. Both had drowned in the lake in the process. The three Halliwell sisters were able to defeat the water demon safely.

While Phoebe was looking for temporary work, Paige was going through the motions of interview after interview at social work firms. With her record of running off for 'family emergencies', she was not finding it easy to suggest her flexibility for work in interviews. Therefore the interviews were not leading to job offers.

When Phoebe's past life affected their present, the three sisters were forced to go back to their past lives to figure out a solution. Phoebe went back to her past life to find out that Piper was one of the two cousins after her in their past lives. However, the other cousin – who she was expecting to be Paige's past life – she did not recognise. Phoebe was angry when she woke up from the spell to find out that it was Piper's past life that had cursed her. Therefore she refused to speak to Piper and would only speak to Paige. This issue was soon resolved. Phoebe apologised to Piper and Paige wondered where her past life had been during this time.

Like the years before, Nicholas once again showed up at the manor with flowers for Grams. Once again, neither Piper nor Phoebe nor Paige wanted to break the bad news to Nicholas. Piper picked the flowers up from the floor after Nicholas had dropped them.

'I will put these in some water,' said Piper, leaving the foyer.

Phoebe glared at Piper who was entering the kitchen. Then Phoebe turned to Paige. The two younger sisters exchanged looks. Which one of them was going to breaks the news to Nicholas?

'I think I heard Piper calling me,' said Paige.

Phoebe scowled. 'You are hearing things, Paige.'

'No,' said Paige. Then Paige turned to Nicholas and said, 'Sorry Nicholas. I need to see what Piper wants. Phoebe will stay and talk to you.'

Paige ran down the corridor, disappearing into the kitchen.

'So…' said Phoebe, filling the awkward silence between her and Nicholas in the foyer.

'I should be leaving now,' said Nicholas.

Nicholas opened the door to leave.

'It was nice to see you three again,' said Nicholas. 'Goodbye.'

Phoebe tried to tell him the news, but she could not voice it. She shut the door behind him.

Paige orbed into the foyer. She waited for Piper to return to the foyer from the kitchen before asking Phoebe: 'Did you tell him?'

Phoebe glared at her two sisters. 'Why did you leave me to do it?'

'I am the youngest. You cannot leave me to do it,' laughed Paige.

'Well, Piper is the eldest,' muttered Phoebe. 'She should have done it.'

'I had more important things to do, Pheebs,' laughed Piper.

'Like making sure flowers don't die?' said Phoebe sarcastically.

'It is the curse of being the middle sister. You got left to do what I really did not want to do,' smirked Piper. 'Live with it.'

'I wish you could feel what it is like being stuck in the middle,' said Phoebe, rolling her eyes.

'Very unlikely to ever happen,' giggled Piper. 'Unless we have an older sister out there that we never knew about.'

After that the most eventful thing that happened was when the genie showed up. Piper wished Dan would move on (with drastic side effects), Phoebe wished she had an active power, and Paige wished she was the oldest sister – but that is a completely different story. It was all sorted out before the Halliwells could say 'The Power of Three will set us free'.

With their relationship at a high, Piper left with Leo, leaving Phoebe to look after Paige.

* * *

**2000/2001**

When Piper and Leo returned, Phoebe and Paige were in the middle of a case (both magical and legal) and had met an assistant district attorney called Cole Turner.

Before Phoebe and Paige had gotten around to telling Piper that she had been gone for longer than she had thought, Piper was already telling them that she could not remember much of what had happened up there, but she did remember one thing quite clearly: 'I accidentally very nearly blew a couple of Elders up. Luckily I missed each time.'

'Luckily?' laughed Phoebe. 'More like unfortunately.'

Over the year, many episodes in their lives were fixed with a vanquishing spell or a flick of the hands blowing up a demon every now and then.

As a relationship blossomed between Phoebe and Cole, tensions in the manor increased. As the eldest sister, Piper was extremely protective of Phoebe, so Piper did not like Cole one bit. Leo's white lighter senses told him there was something wrong with Cole, so Leo did not like or trust Cole. Paige had not liked Cole from the moment they had met him in the courtroom. This was all resolved when they found out about Cole's true identity and when they found out Phoebe had basically turned Cole good. Even though Phoebe was still the only one who completely trusted Cole.

After the trials that the Elders put Piper and Leo through they finally got married. Strangely enough the wedding went as planned. No demon or warlock attacks nor anything magical occurred to disrupt their wedding.

* * *

**2001**

Piper was busy figuring out a way for Leo to apply for a passport even though he was legally dead. Phoebe was busy worrying about Cole's whereabouts as he was still working undercover for them. Paige had recently been offered a job by a local social services firm so was due to start her first day of work the following day.

It was the early hours of the morning. Phoebe was sound asleep in the mausoleum, waiting for Cole.

'Hello?' someone called.

Phoebe woke up, but did not open her eyes.

'Hello? Wake up. Can you hear me?' said the voice.

It was a man's voice. Phoebe's heart leapt. Was it Cole?

'Wake up,' said the voice again.

No. It was not Cole. It was not his voice.

Phoebe opened her eyes. Someone was shining a torch down at her. He saw Phoebe open her eyes and held his hand out to help her up. With his help, Phoebe got to her feet.

When Phoebe was level with him, the man introduced himself. 'I am Detective Andrew Trudeau. I was –'

Phoebe interrupted him. She had recognised the name. 'Andrew Trudeau? As in Andy Trudeau? Did you live in San Francisco before moving to Portland over ten years ago?'

The expression on Andy's face became one of surprise. 'How do you know this about me?'

'Andy! It is me! Phoebe Halliwell!' exclaimed Phoebe. 'You used to be our neighbour!'

'Phoebe? Phoebe!' smiled Andy as he remembered who she was. 'How are Piper and Paige?'

'They are great,' said Phoebe. 'I am unemployed but I have myself a degree in psychology. Paige is a newly employed social worker now and Piper – well, she is married.'

'Really? Wonderful news,' said Andy. 'How long has Piper been married?'

'A couple of months now,' said Phoebe. 'What's new in your life? Have you moved back to San Francisco?'

Andy smiled. 'I had a job offer from the San Francisco P.D. two years ago, but turned it down because my wife was pregnant at the time. They recently offered me the job again, and I decided to take it.'

Phoebe grinned. 'You have a wife! And a two year old child! That is so amazing!'

Andy nodded. 'Anyway, Phoebe, we can catch up properly later. I am here about police business.'

'Police business?' said Phoebe.

'Yes. A witness stated seeing a woman in her twenties breaking into this mausoleum three hours ago. It was not an urgent issue, so I finished my paperwork before coming to check everything out,' said Andy.

'Oh,' said Phoebe, sussing what Andy's question was going to be.

'Phoebe, why are you here?' said Andy.

'Er,' hesitated Phoebe. She did not want to risk Cole shimmering in while Andy was there. Also, she needed time to think up an excuse. 'Come back to the manor with me. Piper and Paige will be glad to see you and I can explain why I am here.'

'Phoebe, it is two in the morning. I do not think Piper and Paige will appreciate me dropping by,' said Andy.

'They won't mind,' said Phoebe.

'My wife won't be happy,' said Andy. 'I told her I would be working late, but not this late.'

'Just tell her you are catching up with old friends,' said Phoebe.

Andy hesitated but after more pestering from Phoebe, he reluctantly agreed.

'Fine, but only because I need to get a statement from you about why you are here,' said Andy.

Phoebe nodded.

As they left the mausoleum, Phoebe asked Andy, 'What is your wife's name?'

Andy smiled as he thought of his wife. To Phoebe, he said: 'Prue.'

* * *

**A/N:** If you noticed no mention of Andy in the season one summary, that is because he never moved back to San Francisco. More explanation about Andy's life in the next chapter. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** This chapter will be better than chapter two. Chapter two was far too annoying because most of it was summary and not story. XD Oops, I forgot to mention the Prue/Andy basis in the fan fiction summary.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Andy pulled onto the drive of Halliwell manor in his police car. Phoebe was sitting in the passenger's seat.

Andy stared at Halliwell manor in awe and said, 'It has not changed one bit.' He could see the building in the darkness as his headlights were on full beam. Noticing this, Andy quickly turned his headlights off.

'Turn your sirens on for a quick second,' said Phoebe.

Andy stared at Phoebe in disbelief. 'Why? I am not arresting anyone. I am parked. And not to forget, it is half two in the morning, Phoebe. Doing that would wake the whole neighbourhood up.'

Phoebe sighed. Andy smiled, but found it strange that Phoebe had given in so easily. He never remembered ever winning an argument with a Halliwell when he was little.

Phoebe leaned over to the dashboard and found the right button. She switched the siren on. Obviously, she had only been pretending to give up.

'Phoebe!' shouted Andy as he quickly switched the siren off.

Phoebe grinned and got out of the car. Andy followed her up the steps to the manor.

Before they reached the door, Piper had opened it. She was standing at the door wrapped in a dressing gown. She did not look pleased at being woken in the early hours of the morning by a siren. However she had spotted that the police car was parked on their driveway and that Phoebe had gotten out of it so was worried about what had happened. Leo stood behind Piper, with his arm wrapped around her. Paige peered out from the living room window.

'Hi Piper,' said Phoebe smiling. Phoebe and Andy had stopped by the front door. 'Can we come in? It is cold outside.'

Piper looked at Andy. 'Who's this?'

'Don't worry, Piper,' laughed Phoebe. 'He may be a policeman but I was not arrested. He came back with me for a catch up.'

'Detective, not policeman,' said Andy quietly.

'A catch up?' said Piper, having not heard Andy. 'You are dating Cole… Why would you bring back another guy?'

Phoebe laughed at Piper's misunderstanding. Andy started stammering to try and correct the misunderstanding.

'Piper, I am not with Phoebe. I am married!' said Andy. 'I found her at the mausoleum and need a statement for why she broke in.'

'Oh, sorry, officer,' said Piper. 'Then why did Phoebe say to catch up?'

'Piper! Don't you recognise him?' Phoebe asked Piper.

Piper looked at Andy but shook her head. 'Sorry,' she said to Andy. 'Do I know you?'

Phoebe involuntarily shivered. She and Andy were still standing outdoors and it was cold.

'Come in and get a warm drink,' said Piper, hustling Phoebe and Andy into the foyer.

As Piper shut the front door, Leo and Andy were shaking hands.

'I am Leo. Piper's husband,' said Leo.

'I am –' began Andy, but he stopped when he saw Paige enter the foyer. 'Paige?'

Paige nodded. 'How do you know who I am?' she asked defensively.

'Wow, Paige. I thought Piper and Phoebe had changed a lot, but you… you have changed the most,' said Andy.

'Who are you?' asked Piper and Paige in harmony.

Phoebe laughed. 'Don't you two recognise him?'

'Phoebe, you did not even recognise me until I told you my name,' laughed Andy. 'It has been over ten years.'

'Over ten years?' muttered Piper. Her eyes flicked between Andy and the front door. 'You came in a police car… You are a policeman… You knew us over ten years ago…'

'The only policeman we know personally is Darryl,' said Paige.

'We only met him three years ago,' laughed Phoebe.

'I know,' said Paige. 'That is why I don't understand Piper's path of logic…'

Piper suddenly smiled. 'You became a policeman just like your dad!' she said to Andy.

Piper hugged Andy and then released him.

'Can someone please tell me who he is?' said Paige irritably.

'Me too,' added Leo, who was completely lost as he had never even met Andy before.

'It's Andy,' said Piper.

Leo did not reply. The words had no effect on him because all this told him was that the man was a policeman named Andy that knew the Halliwells.

Paige's eyes widened. She looked Andy up and down. 'Andy Trudeau? You are that Andy?'

Andy nodded. 'How's it going, Paige?'

Paige smiled and gave Andy a quick hug.

'Andy is married and has a kid now,' said Phoebe.

'You _have_ to tell us everything!' said Piper, ushering everyone into the kitchen.

As Piper began to make coffee, Andy said, 'I only have to get a statement from Phoebe. It's late. You probably want to sleep. I can come back tomorrow for a catch up.'

'Nonsense,' said Piper. 'We are all up now. We may as well catch up.'

Piper sat down, placing a mug of coffee in front of everyone at the table.

'Before we catch up,' said Andy, turning to Phoebe. 'Phoebe, I need your statement.'

Phoebe sighed.

'Phoebe, what were your reasons for breaking into the mausoleum?' asked Andy.

'I…' stuttered Phoebe. She had forgotten about thinking up of an excuse.

'I asked her to go there,' blurted Paige, trying to help her older sister cover her tracks.

Andy looked at Paige. 'Why did you ask her to go there?'

'Er…' said Paige. She had blurted out a reason without thinking of what to say next.

'I told Paige to ask Phoebe to go there,' said Piper.

Andy turned to Piper. 'Why?' He was starting to get the idea that the sisters were covering for one another.

It was Leo's turn to speak. Unlike the three Halliwell sisters, Leo had thought through an excuse.

'Phoebe's boyfriend rang this morning to say that he would meet her there,' said Leo. 'However, Phoebe was not home when he rang. Piper took the call. Didn't you, honey?'

Piper nodded slowly. She was surprised at how easily Leo – the good, kind-hearted white lighter who was all about morals and doing what was right – was lying to a police officer.

'Anyway, Piper was on her way out to work and so was I. Paige was home though, so Piper told her to ask Phoebe to go there tonight,' continued Leo.

'So when Phoebe got home after lunch, I asked her to go there,' said Paige.

'So I waited until the evening to go there,' said Phoebe. 'I did not break in. The door to that mausoleum is not locked… All I did was open the door. My boyfriend never showed up though…'

Phoebe let out a sigh. Her mind was back to Cole and the real reason why she had been there. She had been hoping that Cole would show up after no word from him for so long. Where was Cole? Had he been caught – or worse, had he been killed?

'So why did your boyfriend want to meet you at a mausoleum?' Andy asked Phoebe.

'Er…' hesitated Phoebe. She looked at Piper, Paige, and Leo for help.

Paige smirked. 'No one here except for Phoebe likes him. He is very… strange. He is more of a dark alleys and cemeteries type than a cinema or restaurant type.'

Piper stifled a laugh.

'Paige!' shouted Phoebe.

'What?' said Paige.

'Cole is the best thing that ever happened to me,' said Phoebe. 'I wish you, Piper, and Leo would accept him.'

'I don't know him or anything,' said Andy. 'However maybe he is not right for you if he asks to meet you in the darkness of a cemetery's mausoleum and then stands you up. Phoebe, it can be dangerous. Anyone could have walked into that mausoleum while you slept. Phoebe, it is not safe out there.'

'Sorry, Andy, but I don't need a rant from someone I have not seen for over ten years,' mumbled Phoebe grumpily.

Noticing the tension, Piper decided to change the subject. 'You have your statement now, Andy. It is nothing critical or you would have arrested Phoebe. Can we get back to catching up?'

Andy smiled. 'So how did you and Leo meet?'

Piper and Leo let out a nervous laugh.

'Leo became our handyman a few years ago,' said Paige before Piper and Leo could speak.

'So that is how you two first met?' Andy said to Piper and Leo.

Piper smiled and Leo nodded.

'I think it was love at first sight,' said Leo. Piper kissed him.

Then Piper turned back to Andy and said, 'So how long have you been married?'

'Well, I met my wife, Prue, when I first moved to Portland,' said Andy. 'I was eighteen and new to the town. Prue was the same age as me and we hit it off straight away. We became inseparable. She lived in a foster home so I invited her round mine most evenings for dinner and to hang out. My dad did not mind.'

The three Halliwell sisters and Leo listened with interest as Andy told them about Prue.

'She was doing a photography course at the local college and I was going through police training. Whenever we had free time, we would hang out together. I proposed to her when I was twenty – we had known each other for two years by then. She accepted and we soon bought our own place to live together. Shortly after that, we were married.'

'Was it a big wedding?' asked Piper.

'No. It was only small. Prue had no family. I only had my dad. So we decided to have a small wedding. My dad and a few of our friends attended,' said Andy. 'I don't care that it was small. The main thing was that I was marrying Prue.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all smiled. His story was so sweet, touching, and romantic.

'And you have a child as well,' said Phoebe. 'A boy or a girl?'

'Boy,' smiled Andy. 'His name is Peter, but we call him Petey for short.'

'Aaww,' said all three sisters at once.

'We both had stable incomes by 1996, so decided to try for a baby,' said Andy. 'By 1997, Prue was pregnant with our boy. By 1998, Prue had given birth to him. His third birthday is coming up soon.'

'We have to meet Prue and Petey,' insisted Piper.

'Come around later today with them after work,' agreed Paige.

'Around six pm,' added Phoebe.

'I can't,' said Andy. 'I am taking Prue out later this evening if we can find a babysitter. It is difficult to find one when you have only been in the city for less than a week.'

'We will babysit for you!' said Piper. 'My club's not open this evening so I will be in. So will Leo. We would love to babysit.'

'And Phoebe and I will probably be around too,' added Paige.

Andy smiled. 'Are you sure?'

'We would love to,' said Phoebe.

'Thank you,' said Andy. 'Prue and I will turn up with Petey at six tonight then.'

'We will be grateful to meet Prue and Petey,' said Leo.

Andy looked at his watch. 'It is four in the morning! My next shift starts at seven! I need to get home and check on Prue and Petey first. Prue won't be happy that I have been out so late.'

'I am sure she will understand,' said Piper as they all walked to the door to see Andy out.

'She can be quite stubborn when she wants to,' said Andy smiling. 'She won't let me forget about this.'

'She sounds lovely,' said Phoebe sarcastically.

'Phoebe!' shouted Piper, Paige, and Leo.

Andy chuckled. 'I am not offended. Phoebe, you have not changed one bit in over ten years.'

Piper and Paige laughed. Phoebe frowned, wondering whether that was an insult towards her maturity or not.

The Halliwells and Leo said their goodbyes to Andy and he left, Piper shutting the door behind him.

'No one has explained to me yet how you know Andy,' said Leo to the three sisters.

'Yes we have,' said Phoebe.

'No,' said Leo. 'I know that he is called Andy and is a police officer. I know that you three used to know him somehow. I also know how he has spent his last ten or so years. What no one will tell me is how you originally knew him.'

Leo was frowning.

Paige laughed.

'What?' said Leo.

'You don't like being the one out of the loop for once, do you Mr. I-can-get-my-information-from-the-Elders-because-I-am-a-white-lighter man?'

* * *

Later that day, after getting some sleep, everyone was up and about. Piper sat in the kitchen with many files laid out on the table in front of her. Leo was moaning at Piper about her insistence on breaking the law by doctoring his birth certificate. Paige was making herself some coffee as she was about to rush out for her first day at work.

After winning the argument, Piper and Leo left the manor to go to the passport agency. Paige followed them outdoors.

'Good luck with your first day,' Leo said to Paige as she got into her car.

'Thanks,' said Paige. She paused before getting into the car. 'Have either of you seen Phoebe this morning yet?'

Piper shook her head. 'No. I thought she was sleeping in after such a long night. You know how she has been worrying about Cole.'

Paige sighed. 'Do you think it is okay for us to all be leaving her alone at a time like this?'

'Paige, Phoebe will be fine. Now, get to work. You are only stalling because you are scared about your first day,' said Piper firmly.

'Stalling? Okay, maybe I am…' admitted Paige.

'Good luck, Paige,' said Piper.

Paige nodded. 'Thanks. Good luck getting Leo a passport without ending up in jail.'

Piper laughed. 'There is nothing wrong with me wanting to go on a normal holiday with my husband.'

At the passport agency, Piper and Leo were standing in queue having another argument. It had been almost two and a half hours since they had lined up and Leo had just been called by the Elders.

'Piper, don't be mad,' said Leo. 'Please don't cause an explosion. I have to leave.'

'No! You are not leaving right now!' shouted Piper. 'How naïve do you think I am! I have had this power for almost three years! Do you really think I cannot control it by now?'

Piper was waving her hands around as she shouted. Leo's eyes were following her hands anxiously.

'Honey, please calm down,' said Leo.

'Don't tell me to calm down, Leo,' said Piper coldly. 'I can control my power, okay? Being angry does not automatically make everything explode around me!'

'Piper, I am sorry, but I really have to go right now,' said Leo.

Leo left Piper in the line. He began to walk across the room with Piper yelling after him, waving her hands everywhere in annoyance.

Suddenly, Leo stopped. However he did not turn around.

'Leo?' said Piper quietly.

Leo did not reply. Then Piper realised that the whole room had gone quiet. She looked around at the elderly woman who was in front of them in the line. She was looking at Piper and Leo with a still, glassy stare. No one else in the room was moving either.

'L-L-Leo?' stuttered Piper.

Piper walked out of the line towards her husband. She walked around him so as she could see his face. He – like everyone else in the room – was frozen.

Piper pulled her phone out of her bag and rang the manor. No reply. Where was Phoebe? She should have been home that day. Piper rang Phoebe's phone. No reply. Had Piper frozen the whole planet or was something the matter with Phoebe? Reluctantly, Piper rang Paige's phone. She had been unwilling to do this because she had not wanted to wreck Paige's first day of work with magical issues. However Piper had no other choice.

Paige answered after a few seconds. 'Hello?'

'Hi Paige, it's Piper,' said Piper.

'Hi Piper,' said Paige. As a joke she added, 'Is this your one phone call?'

'Huh?' said Piper, not processing the information properly.

'Never mind, Piper. It was a joke. You know how Leo and I were saying that what you were doing was illegal…' said Paige.

'Oh. Oh yeah. I see. You joked that I was in jail…' muttered Piper.

'I did not need you to explain my own joke to me,' said Paige. Piper could hear Paige tapping away at a keyboard as she spoke on the phone. 'What's up?'

'Paige, am I going to get you into trouble?' asked Piper.

'Huh? Oh, talking on the phone at work? They have been nagging at me for the past hour to take a break so this can count as it,' said Paige. 'So, what's up?'

Piper waved her free hand in front of Leo's face, hoping for some sort of reaction. Nothing.

'Er, do you remember when Hannah and Rex –' started Piper, but she was interrupted by Paige.

'Hannah and Rex? Please refresh my memory, Piper,' said Paige.

'Hannah and Rex. Remember. I used to work in that office block. The floor above it was occupied by an auction house. Rex owned the auction house so I would see him every morning in the elevator. Soon we were meeting up for coffee at the nearby cafés during our breaks,' said Piper.

'Oh that Rex. You could have just said the guy that made friends with you before we found out that he was a warlock,' said Paige.

Piper rolled her eyes.

'Did you just roll your eyes at me?' laughed Paige.

'How did you know that? We are talking on a phone!' said Piper.

'I guessed,' laughed Paige. 'Anyway, back to the point, Piper.'

'Oh yeah. Do you remember when Rex gave me that locket – before we knew he and Hannah were out to get us?' said Piper.

'Yes, that was when Matthew Tate appeared and tried to steal our powers,' said Paige.

'Yes. Matthew stole my power and suddenly doubted that I was one of the Charmed Ones,' said Piper.

'That was because he expected you to have the power to freeze, like mum did. Even Melinda Warren was surprised to find out you had the power to explode instead of to freeze,' said Paige. 'Has this got anything to do with why you are phoning me?'

'Yes,' said Piper with a gulp. 'I just froze everyone at the passport agency, including Leo.'

'What? Piper, that's great! I think so. I mean you finally have the power everyone expected you to get!' said Paige.

'I know… but…' hesitated Piper.

'What's wrong?' asked Paige.

'I have no idea how to unfreeze Leo! Or the rest of the room!' Piper shouted into the phone.

'Okay, Piper. Please try and calm down,' said Paige. 'You will be okay. You will figure it out.'

'Paige, what if I accidentally blow them all up instead of unfreeze them?' asked Piper timidly.

'Piper, you can do this, okay?' said Paige. 'Do you want me to ditch work and make my way over to the passport agency to help you?'

'No. Paige stay there. You are not losing your job because of me,' said Piper.

'Okay, Piper. Just concentrate and try to unfreeze them,' said Paige. 'It is a power that you were supposed to have. Mum had it. Even Melinda had it. We probably had loads of ancestors with that power. It is obviously controllable.'

'Thank you, Paige,' said Piper, happy to receive the support and encouragement.

'No problem,' said Paige. 'I will see you this evening.'

The phone call ended and Piper put the phone back in her bag.

'Leo, please come back to me,' murmured Piper. 'I need you.'

Piper flicked her hands up at the room in general but it remained frozen. Piper did not want to direct her hands at anyone in particular in case she blew them up instead of unfreezing them.

Piper pushed Leo in frustration. Although the rest of the room remained frozen, Leo unfroze.

'Leo!' Piper shouted, hugging Leo.

'Piper? How did you get over here all of a sudden? You were behind me in the line just a second ago,' said Leo. Then his eyes widened in shock, 'Did you blink?'

'No, Leo. I am not evil like that time earlier this year,' Piper reassured him. Piper thought back to the time earlier that year when she and Phoebe had been temporarily evil with warlock powers. 'Look around you, Leo.'

Leo looked around and noticed that he and Piper were the only two people in the room that were not stationary.

'Piper? Did you do this?' Leo asked slowly.

Slowly, Piper nodded.

'Piper, you froze the room!' said Leo ecstatically.

'You are not mad or worried?' said Piper. She was surprised at Leo's positive reaction to the scenario.

'Of course not! Piper, this is the power you were always supposed to have,' said Leo.

'So I have been told,' mumbled Piper.

'Piper,' said Leo. Leo put his hand under Piper's chin and gently raised Piper's head so as she was eye to eye with him. 'You can control this. If you put your mind to it, you can unfreeze this whole room.'

'What if I blow someone up instead?' asked Piper nervously, her eyes wet with the fret of tears.

'You won't. I believe in you,' said Leo.

Piper nodded. She raised her hands up in the air and the room unfroze.

'You did it,' said Leo. He was smiling.

Piper was grimacing now.

'What's wrong?' Leo asked.

'We lost our place in line!' moaned Piper.

* * *

Paige orbed into the attic with Piper and Phoebe. They had spent the afternoon helping to save a witch from demons that were after her amulet.

'I don't know what is up with me. Every time I try to flame, I freeze,' moaned Piper.

'Piper, don't fret,' said Phoebe. 'Leo told you earlier that this is supposed to be a development in your power. It helped us to defeat that demon anyway. It is probably the fastest we have ever gone from coming face-to-face with a demon to vanquishing its sorry butt. It is possibly more useful than your explosion power. Blowing demons up did not always work.'

Piper shrugged. 'I still don't like the change.'

'Piper, stop moaning. We saved Cole too,' added Phoebe, happy that Cole had been in contact with her again that day.

Leo orbed into the attic. 'Hi. Is everything okay?'

Phoebe and Paige nodded.

'Piper's freezing power rocks,' said Paige.

'It doesn't,' groaned Piper. 'I cannot blow things up anymore.'

'Piper, you never liked having such a violent power when you first got it,' said Phoebe.

'I know, but at least I learnt how to control it. What if I get used to this freezing power and then the other power suddenly comes back? I don't want to accidentally blow an innocent up!' said Piper.

'Piper, please stop worrying,' said everyone in the room. They were all getting annoyed with Piper's incessant complaining.

Changing the subject, Piper said, 'So how was your first day at work, Paige?'

'Paige, I am so sorry for making you ditch for the afternoon,' Phoebe suddenly said.

'Piper, my day was good,' said Paige. 'Phoebe, don't worry. I was only office bound for the morning. In the afternoon my task was to go out and see clients. My boss won't find out that I finished early.'

The phone rang.

'Phone,' said Paige.

The portable landline phone was telekinetically orbed into Paige's hand. Paige passed the ringing phone to Piper.

Piper answered the phone: 'Hello. Halliwell residence.'

'Hi. Andy gave me this number,' said a woman's voice. She sounded annoyed. 'I have been standing out here for the past half hour ringing your doorbell. You told Andy you would be home to babysit!'

'Oh! I am so sorry!' said Piper. 'We will let you in right now!'

Piper beckoned for Phoebe to go downstairs and open the front door. Piper put the phone down on a table in the attic. Phoebe ran out of the attic.

Piper and Paige began to leave the attic at a slower pace than Phoebe who was already entering the foyer and opening the front door. Leo was following quietly behind the two of them.

'Who was that?' Paige asked Piper.

'Andy's wife,' said Piper.

'Crap! Is it already six?' Paige asked.

Piper looked at her watch. 'It is half six. I did not realise the time.'

'Did she sound angry?' asked Paige.

Piper nodded.

Piper, Paige, and Leo reached the foyer. It was empty but they could hear voices coming from the living room.

'Sorry for leaving you out in the cold,' said Phoebe.

Piper, Paige, and Leo entered the living room. Sitting on the sofa was a little boy with short dark hair. Standing by Phoebe was a woman with long dark hair. She was wearing a silky long red dress with a black cardigan on top. She did not look impressed; her arms were crossed in irritation.

'You were obviously home the whole time,' Prue said to Phoebe. 'Or you would not have been able to answer the phone.'

'We did not hear the doorbell,' said Phoebe. 'We were up in the attic.'

Prue shook her head. 'Still Andy said you were expecting my son to be dropped off at six o'clock.'

'Sorry about that,' said Piper.

Prue turned to see Piper, Paige, and Leo standing in the room. Piper did not like how this woman was talking to her little sister.

'We lost track of time,' said Piper. 'If you are going to blame someone, blame me. I do not appreciate you addressing my younger sister as if it is all her fault.'

Leo could feel the tension rising in the room so interrupted before Prue could respond.

'Shall we all introduce ourselves?' Leo said hurriedly. 'I am Leo. This is my darling wife, Piper. She is lovely when you get to know her.' Leo gestured towards Piper. 'Her sister, Phoebe.' He pointed at Phoebe. 'And this is Paige, the third and youngest sister of this household.' He pointed at Paige.

Prue's posture loosened up a little. She uncrossed her arms and smiled at Leo.

'I am Prue, Andy's wife. I believe Andy already mentioned our son to you,' said Prue, gesturing at her son, Petey.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo all nodded.

'Andy told us all about your son,' said Paige. 'Little Petey Trudeau.'

'Petey Trudeau?' said Prue. 'Is that what Andy told you his last name was?'

'His last name is not Trudeau?' asked Piper.

'No. Andy and I combined our last names for Peter,' explained Prue. 'We call him Petey as in the letters P and T. And P. T. is short for Peter Trudeau. Otherwise his name would be far too long. His full name is Peter Trudeau-Halliwell.'

'Halliwell?' said Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Leo all at once, utterly flabbergasted.

* * *

**A/N: **In case, Prue's explanation of Petey's name was not clear enough. His name is Peter Trudeau-Halliwell, but because that is a mouthful, they call him P. T. Halliwell. However, people just call him P. T. for short, which is written as Petey. I hope I have cleared that up. It is difficult to make a character explain. Especially when I had to make the Halliwell part a surprise for Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Unfortunately for a little while, the impressions between Prue and the sisters won't be the best, especially after Andy's revelation in the chapter after this one. The relationship between Prue and the sisters will not get a chance to grow until I reach the Shax storyline. Before that, it will mostly be the three younger sister scenes separate to Prue/Andy scenes. Please read and review.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

'Yes, Halliwell…' said Prue. 'What is so wrong with that?'

'Did Andy tell you our surnames?' asked Phoebe.

'No. All he told me was that he had caught back up with some childhood friends who lived in the area and that you had offered to babysit,' said Prue. 'Why?'

'Phoebe Halliwell at your service,' said Phoebe with a grin.

'So? It is not an uncommon last name,' said Prue, unfazed by the idea that they shared the same surname.

'We know,' said Phoebe. 'It is just not that often that we meet another Halliwell.'

'Matthew Tate managed to find _a lot_ of San Francisco based Halliwells,' Paige mumbled under her breath to contradict Phoebe.

'Where is Andy?' asked Piper.

'Oh. He was running late at work so asked me to drop Petey off here,' said Prue. 'Andy said he would meet me here. Is that okay with you?'

Piper nodded and then signalled for Prue to take a seat on the sofa. Everyone sat down and they continued their conversation while Piper went to the kitchen to make Prue a cup of coffee – specifically leaded.

Paige was entertaining Petey with a cuddly bear toy she had found in boxes in the attic, while Leo and Phoebe spoke to Prue.

'So have you managed to settle down in San Francisco yet?' asked Leo.

'I have only been here for a week but it is nice to be somewhere new, somewhere different. I have lived in Portland all my life. San Francisco is so much nicer in comparison,' said Prue.

'That is good to hear,' said Phoebe. 'Have you gotten any local work yet?'

Prue nodded.

Phoebe gaped. 'How? I have been trying for years to get a job with my psychology degree.'

Prue smiled. 'I have the contacts.'

'So what is the job?' asked Leo.

'Well, for now, I have been hired to photograph artefacts at the local museum as they need a catalogue made,' said Prue. 'I am hoping to get a more permanent job with a local magazine once the museum project is finished.'

Piper walked into the living room, handed Prue her leaded coffee, and then sat down next to Leo.

'Sounds interesting,' said Piper, who had heard the last part of Prue's job description.

Prue took a sip of coffee before asking, 'So how do you all know Andy? He never mentioned you before this morning.'

'Oh, Andy used to live down the street to us,' said Piper. 'My sisters and I grew up in this house. Andy came to see us almost everyday. We were all good friends. We were sad to see him leave when he did.'

'I only met him yesterday,' added Leo.

'We were happy to find out that he was happily married and had a family,' said Phoebe. 'We did not realise you and him had combined last names as he called himself 'Detective Andrew Trudeau'. He never called himself Trudeau-Halliwell.'

'That is because we have kept our surnames separate for professional reasons,' explained Prue. 'Andy is 'Detective Trudeau' and I am 'Prue Halliwell, photographer'. We wanted Petey to share our names though so there you have Peter Trudeau-Halliwell, generally known as P. T. Halliwell.'

Prue looked over at Petey. He was standing up on the sofa, holding the teddy bear out of Paige's reach. Paige was pretending that she could not reach the teddy bear. Petey was laughing at Paige's failed attempt to get the bear back.

'Peter Trudeau-Halliwell, sit down! You do not stand on sofas!' said Prue strictly.

Petey dropped into a sitting position on the sofa. 'Sowwee, mummy,' he said.

There was a knock on the door. Prue put her half empty cup of coffee on the coffee table and stood up. Everyone else in the room also stood up and made their way to the front door.

Piper opened the door and Andy entered.

'Good evening,' said Andy, greeting the three sisters and Leo.

Petey stumbled over to Andy and hugged his leg. 'Daddy!'

'Hi there, Petey,' said Andy, ruffling his son's hair. Then Andy greeted his wife with a kiss and said, 'Sorry I am late, Prue. I had to help my new work colleague fill out some paper work.' Andy turned to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. 'I think you three mentioned him yesterday: Darryl Morris.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige smiled. 'He is a friend of the family.'

'So Darryl told me today,' said Andy. Then he turned back to Prue and said, 'We should get going if we want to make our dinner reservation.'

'Do you think we will still make it in time after you were late from work?' asked Prue.

'I phoned the restaurant to ask if they could change our reservation from seven o'clock to eight,' explained Andy.

'That's good,' said Prue.

'Have a fun evening,' said Piper.

'We will take great care of Petey,' said Phoebe.

'We will be back by midnight at the latest,' said Andy.

'You do not have to rush back,' said Paige. 'We can handle Petey. We can set him up somewhere to sleep.'

Prue and Andy smiled. 'Thank you,' said Andy. 'We will not be back too late though.'

'Really, it is no trouble,' said Leo.

'Thank you,' said Prue. 'It was nice meeting you all.'

Prue and Andy leant down to speak to Petey.

'Bye Petey,' said Andy. 'Be good to these people, okay?'

Petey nodded.

Prue hugged Petey and said, 'Go to sleep soon. I do not want you staying up just because you are not at home. Bye, honey.'

Petey nodded.

Prue and Andy stood back up.

'Petey has already had his supper this evening, so do not let him have any snacks,' said Prue.

The sisters and Leo nodded in understanding.

Prue shook hands with Piper. The light from the chandelier brightened as if light was raining down over them for a brief second before dimming again.

'You should get that fixed,' Andy said to Leo.

'Huh?' said Leo, his eyes fixated on the chandelier.

'You said you were a handyman,' said Andy.

'Oh yeah. I will fix that flickering light,' said Leo, still staring at the chandelier.

'Bye,' said Prue and Andy as they left the manor.

'Bye,' said the three sisters and Leo.

Once the door was shut, they turned to see Petey staring at them.

Leo leaned down to Petey's level. 'Hi Petey. I am Leo. I know it must be scary. You are in a brand new city. You have four strangers looking after you for this evening. Don't worry, though, we are all nice.'

Piper knelt down next to Leo and asked, 'Do you want me to bake you some cookies?'

'Cookies?' said Petey. He looked intrigued.

Piper smiled and nodded. 'Of course. If you go in the living room and play quietly, I will go and bake you some cookies.'

Petey ran into the living room and began playing with the teddy bear.

'Piper, Prue said not to let him have any snacks,' said Leo, frowning.

Piper shrugged. 'Prue never has to know, Leo. Plus, this will keep the kid quiet until it is time for him to go to sleep.'

Leo did not look convinced. However, before Leo could continue the conversation he heard the familiar ringing sound that meant the Elders were calling for him.

'The Elders need me,' said Leo. 'Will the three of you be okay looking after Petey without me?'

Phoebe laughed. 'Leo, there are three of us to one of him. I think we can cope.'

Paige also laughed. 'Yeah, Leo. We have defeated demons and warlocks in the past. I don't think a two year old boy will be an issue.'

Piper added, 'He will definitely be easier to look after than that baby we had to look after last year. No nappies need changing this time.'

'He is potty-trained, isn't he?' asked Phoebe with a worried expression.

'Okay. I get the point. You three will be fine,' said Leo good-humouredly. 'Piper, I really think you should listen to Prue's instructions.'

'Leo, I know what I am doing,' said Piper.

Leo grimaced before orbing out.

Piper went into the kitchen. Phoebe and Paige peered into the living room. They could see Petey playing with the teddy bear.

'We should get more toys down for him,' said Phoebe.

'Good idea,' said Paige. 'Box of toys.'

In a flurry of orbs, the box of toys from the attic appeared in Paige's hands.

'Phoebe, help. This is heavy,' said Paige. She was struggling to keep the box steady in her hands due to its weight.

Phoebe held the other end of the box and they carried it into the living room. Petey saw them enter with it. When they had placed it on the ground, Petey started rummaging through the box, pulling toy after toy out.

Petey gave Phoebe a toy train and then gave Paige a dolly. He picked up the teddy bear again and indicated for Phoebe and Paige to sit on the floor. With Phoebe as the train, Paige as the dolly, and Petey as the teddy bear, they had the toys interact and talk to one another in the game that Petey had decided to play.

When Petey got bored of the toys he ran over to the table that the television was perched on. However he could not reach the button on the monitor to turn the television on.

'Petey, you don't need to watch television,' said Phoebe.

'Teevee!' shouted Petey.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged worried looks. They did not want the boy to have a tantrum.

'Petey, do you want to see a magic trick?' asked Paige quickly.

'Magic! Magic! Magic!' shouted Petey as he ran over to Paige.

Piper walked in with a plate of freshly baked cookies.

'Phoebe, Paige… Why is Petey shouting about magic?' Piper had an anxious look on her face. 'What did you tell him?'

'Relax, Piper. I am just showing him a magic trick,' said Paige.

'Paige, magic isn't real…' said Piper.

'Magic is weel!' shouted Petey.

Piper finally caught onto the fact that Paige was not on about real magic and that she should not ruin the fun for Petey.

Piper bent down and held out the plate for Petey to take a cookie. 'Of course it is real, sweetie. Paige is really good at doing magic tricks.'

Petey took a cookie and then Piper placed the plate on the coffee table. Piper sat on the sofa next to Phoebe. Paige had her back to them as she was kneeling on the floor. Petey sat on the floor in front of Paige, waiting for her to do the magic trick.

Paige showed Petey her hands. 'Petey, is there anything in my hands?'

Petey shook his head as he swallowed a mouthful of cookie.

Paige put her hands behind her back so as they were hidden from Petey's view but visible to Piper and Phoebe.

'Are you sure?' Paige asked Petey.

Petey nodded.

'Are you positive?' asked Paige.

'Yes,' said Petey.

'I think there might actually be a blanket in my hand,' said Paige.

'No there is not,' laughed Petey.

'Are you sure?' said Paige. Paige smiled and said, 'Blanket.'

Piper and Phoebe watched as the blanket appeared in Paige's hands in a flurry of orbs.

Paige brought her hands into the view of Petey. His face lit up when he saw the blanket.

'How doo do that?' said Petey in awe.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige beamed at his fascinated expression.

'Magic,' laughed Paige.

'Wow!' said Petey.

'Okay, sweetie,' Phoebe said to Petey. 'I think it is time for you to try to get some sleep.'

Paige handed the blanket to Petey. Piper and Phoebe stood up from the sofa.

'You can try to get some sleep on the sofa,' said Piper.

'Make a piwwo appear!' Petey said to Paige as he jumped onto the sofa.

Paige smiled and held her hands behind her back so as Petey could not see them.

'Pillow,' said Paige.

Paige brought her hands back into view with the pillow and handed it to Petey.

'So cool!' said Petey.

'Now get some sleep,' said Paige.

The three sisters left the living room and switched off the light. They sat down in the kitchen.

'Baby sitting toddlers is a piece of cake,' said Phoebe.

As if on cue, a crashing sound came from the direction of the living room.

* * *

Prue and Andy sat opposite one another in a candle lit restaurant. The restaurant was called Quake. They were patiently waiting for their main course to be served.

'Are you still mad at me about not being back until half four in the morning?' asked Andy.

Although Prue had been talking to Andy like any normal day, he could tell she was mad. After knowing Prue since they were eighteen, Andy could tell her mood from the smallest actions.

'Why are you even asking when you already know the answer?' asked Prue.

'Why? Why do you think?' said Andy rhetorically. 'You know why! I have already explained to you that the only way that Phoebe would give me a statement was if I went back to their house for a catch up. They are old friends, Prue.'

'You could not have caught up with them during daylight hours?'

'I did not purposefully go looking for them,' said Andy. 'To be honest, I had forgotten all about them. The memories only came flooding back when Phoebe told me who she was.'

Prue sighed.

'Prue, that is all. Why are you still mad at me?' asked Andy again.

'Instead of coming home to your wife and son, you decided to go and have a midnight chat with three women you have not seen for over ten years,' said Prue.

'Oh, you are jealous?' said Andy. He almost immediately realised that this was a mistake to say.

'Of course not!' said Prue with an expression of surprise. Andy could read Prue though. This surprised expression was hiding her annoyance.

Suddenly Andy's glass of champagne went flying into his face.

'Andy! Are you okay?' asked Prue.

Andy laughed as he put the empty glass onto the table and fumbled for a serviette to wipe his face with.

A waiter approached the table. 'Is everything okay, sir? Would you like another towel to wipe yourself down with, sir?'

'Yes please,' laughed Andy.

The waiter walked away.

'How did that happen?' asked Prue.

'I have no idea,' laughed Andy. 'It was funny though.'

Prue laughed. 'And you did deserve it.'

The waiter returned and gave Andy a towel. The waiter also poured Andy another glass of champagne before walking away again.

'Back to our argument,' said Andy.

'Conversation,' said Prue.

'Discussion,' compromised Andy.

Prue gave in and smiled. 'Fine. It was a discussion then.'

'You are still mad at me because you do not like the idea of me staying out late to talk to three young women,' stated Andy.

Once again the glass of champagne flew into Andy's face.

'What the –' said Andy.

Prue interrupted him. 'Andy! How can you make that assumption about me?'

'Prue! Were you even watching? This must be a wobbly table or something,' said Andy, wiping his second glass of champagne from his face.

'Yes. I noticed you knock your second glass of champagne all over yourself,' said Prue. 'The point is that you assumed that I was angry because you spent the early hours of the morning with three women you grew up with before you met me.'

'Prue, I did not knock the champagne all over me. It was down on the table both times and just jumped up to my face!' said Andy.

'Now you are making things up, Andy,' said Prue. 'Please stop changing the subject.'

'Prue, please give it a rest. Yes I did assume but I know I am right or you would not be reacting this way,' said Andy.

The waiter was placing plates in front of Prue and Andy: their main courses. The sauce from Andy's spaghetti bolognese leapt up into Andy's face.

'Arggh!' said Andy, trying to wipe the hot sauce from his face.

'Andy! I am so sorry! Are you okay?' asked Prue.

The waiter was also apologising.

'I am fine,' Andy reassured the waiter. After another reassurance from Andy, the waiter walked away.

Andy wiped the last of the sauce from his cheeks and looked up at Prue.

'I understand why the waiter was apologising. He brought out the meal that exploded in my face,' said Andy. 'What I don't understand is why you apologised.'

'I – I – I don't know why,' said Prue. For some strange reason she felt as if the leaping meat sauce had been her fault. Then Prue decided to add, 'Andy, I admit that I am mad that you spent the early hours with those three women. They are younger than me… They are…'

Andy grasped Prue's hands and she stopped speaking. Andy was staring directly at Prue now.

'Prue, don't continue your sentence,' said Andy. 'I never thought of any of the sisters in that way before I moved away from San Francisco. I still do not think of them in that way. You are the only one for me. I love you.'

Prue nodded, happy to hear these words spoken by Andy.

'Thank you,' said Prue. 'I love you too, Andy.'

Andy smiled. Then he added as a joke, 'Besides Prue, the eldest is married, the middle sister currently has a boyfriend, and Paige – well, Paige is actually single…'

Prue slapped Andy's hand playfully.

Andy laughed. 'Prue, you know I was joking.'

'A dangerous joke,' laughed Prue.

Prue's annoyance had subsided. She was now just happy to be spending the evening with her husband with the knowledge that her son was in safe hands.

* * *

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged hurried looks.

'Demon attack?' suggested Paige.

'It came from the living room,' said Phoebe.

'Petey is in there,' said Piper.

Worry was audible in their voices. The three sisters ran into the living room and switched on the light.

The first thing they noticed was that there was no demon present. That was a relief. The second thing they noticed was that the coffee table was turned on its side. The plate of cookies was spilt across the carpet. The sofa was also rear-ended. That was worrying. The third thing they noticed was that Petey was nowhere in sight. That was –

'Dreadful! This is dreadful!' shouted Piper in despair.

'Do you think a demon or warlock showed up and kidnapped him?' asked Paige.

'I do now!' said Piper.

Phoebe was already wandering around the room, trying to force a premonition that may hold the answer to what had happened.

'Leo!' shouted Piper.

'Book of Shadows!' said Paige. In a flurry of orbs, the Book appeared in her hands. 'Pheebs, as soon as you have a premonition of the demon or warlock that took him, I will look him up in the Book.'

'Sure,' said Phoebe. She picked up the empty plate. No premonition. She dropped the empty plate back onto the ground. She put her hand against the upturned coffee table. Still nothing. Phoebe picked up the blanket. Nothing yet.

'Leo!' Piper shouted again. 'Leo! We need you down here now!'

Leo orbed into the living room.

'What's wrong?' Leo asked. Then he noticed the state of the living room. 'What happened? Is Petey safe?'

'We don't know where Petey is. We don't know what happened, Leo,' said Piper.

'Piper, I will go and ask the Elders if they know anything,' said Leo.

Leo orbed out.

'I cannot believe we lost Prue's son!' Piper screeched.

'Are you going to do something cool now, Pippy?'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige slowly looked to the one part of the room they had not searched for Petey in earlier: up.

Sure enough Petey was levitating just below the ceiling staring down at the three sisters in awe.

'Sweetie, what are you doing up there?' asked Piper, panic in her voice.

'I think I gots magic like all of you,' said Petey. 'You said Feeb can see stuff with premon thingies. PJ –' Petey could not say 'Paige' so had settled with calling her 'PJ' instead. '– PJ made that big book appear. Leo appeared and then went away. What do you do, Pippy?'

'Er, Petey, do you think you could come down from there first and tell us what happened?' asked Piper slowly.

Phoebe gasped.

Piper and Paige turned to see Phoebe holding a cookie. Her eyes were closed. She was in the middle of a premonition. Phoebe opened her eyes.

'Piper, Paige. I saw what happened,' said Phoebe. 'Petey was lying in bed when he leant into the darkness for the plate of cookies which someone –' Phoebe stopped to frown at Piper '– which someone foolishly left on the coffee table. As he grasped the plate he suddenly began to levitate. Petey dropped the plate of cookies and grabbed the coffee table. The pull of his levitation power was too strong though, so the table was knocked over as he floated upwards. Petey then held onto the sofa. The same thing happened.'

Piper, Paige, and Phoebe all looked up at Petey again.

'Do you think you can come down?' Paige asked Petey.

'No,' said Petey, giggling. He did not see a scary side to it at all. He found it all quite fun and entertaining. 'I am fwoating!'

'Pheebs, any help at getting him down?' Piper asked.

'Why are you asking me?' said Phoebe.

'You are the one with the levitation power!' said Piper.

'I have not had the power for that long,' moaned Phoebe. 'I am not an expert!'

Paige stretched her arms out and said 'Petey.'

In a flurry of orbs, Petey disappeared from the ceiling and reappeared in Paige's arms. Almost immediately, he started to float upwards again. Paige held onto him, but found her feet parting from the ground.

'Help, please,' Paige said to her sisters as she found herself floating upwards with Petey.

Piper grabbed Paige's leg, but found herself unable to bring Paige and Petey back down to the floor.

'Well, at least it was not a demon,' Phoebe laughed nervously.

Cole shimmered into the living room. 'Did someone say demon?' said Cole with a smile.

'Wow!' shouted Petey. 'He is cooler at appearing than Leo!'

'Cole!' shouted Paige.

'What?' said Cole.

'We have a guest present,' said Paige, gesturing to Petey who she was struggling to keep in her arms. 'We are trying to avoid exposure here.'

'Paige, don't blame Cole! If anyone exposed us, it was you! You telekinetically orbed the Book down here right in front of Petey!' shouted Phoebe.

'Yeah, but I did not know Petey was up here, did I?' said Paige.

'Neither did Cole!' shouted Phoebe.

'Er, can I ask why Paige and a kid are floating in the air? Can I also ask why Piper is dangling an inch or so above the ground, holding onto Paige?' said Cole.

'We are obviously doing this to amuse ourselves,' said Piper sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.

'Did you just roll your eyes, Piper?' giggled Paige.

'How can you tell from up there?' gawped Piper.

'I should leave,' said Cole. Realising that he was not wanted, Cole shimmered out.

Phoebe levitated so as she was level with Petey and Paige. 'I chose the wrong day to wear a skirt,' laughed Phoebe.

'Don't copy me Feeb!' shouted Petey.

'Petey, I need you to listen to me,' said Phoebe. 'You need to try and regain control. You want to touch the ground again.'

Petey shrugged. 'How Feeb?'

'Piper, let go of Paige. Paige, let go of Petey,' said Phoebe.

Piper let go of Paige and landed softly on the carpet. She had not been far from the ground anyway so the landing was good. Piper quickly moved out of the way as she did not want Paige to land on her. Paige released Petey and felt herself fall. She orbed onto the carpet before she could fall onto it. Piper helped Paige to her feet.

'Look at me,' Phoebe said to Petey. 'Float back to the ground in time with me.'

Phoebe began to float downwards. So did Petey. Soon both Phoebe and Petey were standing on the ground.

Piper hugged Petey. 'You are going to stay on the ground and not scare us again!' said Piper, like an anxious mother.

'What magic have you gots, Pippy?' Petey asked Piper.

'Er,' said Piper reluctantly. 'Just go to sleep, Petey.'

'Onwy if you tell me, Pippy,' said Petey.

'Piper, you may as well tell him,' said Phoebe.

Paige agreed. 'He has already seen me, Phoebe, Leo, and Cole use magic. He is obviously magical himself and a smart enough two-year-old to realise that you are magical too.'

'I am awmost three!' said Petey. 'Tell me, Pippy.'

Piper gave in. 'I can make things blow up.'

'Show me! Show me!' shouted Petey.

'Maybe another time,' said Piper. She suddenly remembered that she could not even get that power to work at the moment. She could only get things to freeze.

'Now, get to sleep, Petey,' said Paige.

Petey yawned. He was tired so decided not to argue. 'Okie, PJ.'

Paige telekinetically orbed the sofa so as it was right-side-up. She did the same with the coffee table. Piper picked up the cookies and the plate. Petey lay down on the sofa and Phoebe put the pillow beneath his head and the blanket on top of him.

'Good night,' said Phoebe.

'Night, Feeb,' said Petey, yawning again.

The sisters left the living room, switching the light off. In the kitchen, Piper threw away the cookies and started to wash up the plate.

'Levitation is a witch's power,' said Phoebe.

'Or a white lighter ability,' added Paige.

Piper turned away from the sink to face her sisters.

'Whichever it is, this means that at least one of Petey's parents must be magical,' said Piper.

'Are you saying Andy could be a witch?' said Phoebe.

'Or white lighter,' added Paige.

'Or it could be Prue…' suggested Piper.

* * *

**A/N:** A few references from season one, two, and three in this chapter, plus a _Charmed Again_ reference if you noticed the chandelier moment. So Prue's powers were unbound, even if she and the sisters do not know that. I hope you enjoyed the magical restaurant scene between Prue and Andy, plus the magical babysitting scene with the Halliwell sisters and Petey.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The waiter placed two plates in front of Prue and Andy. Prue had been served a luscious chocolate cake. Andy had been served a cheesecake with a raspberry sauce.

'This looks absolutely delicious,' said Andy.

'Can I try some?' said Prue.

'Only if I can try some of yours,' said Andy.

'Of course,' said Prue smiling.

Their relationship was back to normal. The day's tension had now vanished from the atmosphere and only remained in their memories.

Prue reached across the table to steal some of Andy's dessert. Andy did the same to pinch some of Prue's dessert.

'How has work been?' Andy asked Prue as he took a mouthful of Prue's chocolate cake.

Prue swallowed her mouthful of Andy's cheesecake before replying, 'I love the photography part.'

'There is something you don't like?' asked Andy.

'Well, I love taking photos of the artefacts. They are so interesting,' said Prue as she started on her own dessert.

'What is it that you dislike?' asked Andy.

'Definitely not this chocolate cake,' said Prue.

'Prue,' said Andy seriously. 'Please tell me. What is wrong with work? Are the people there bothering you?'

Prue mashed the cake on her plate up with her fork a little before answering. 'Not people. It is just one person that is extremely arrogant.'

'Tell me about them, Prue,' said Andy.

'His name is Roger. He is the museum curator but he is a complete creep,' said Prue.

'Prue, remember you can use the 'my husband is a cop' line whenever you want, if you want to try and scare this creep off,' said Andy.

Prue laughed. 'Thanks, Andy. I think I can fend for myself though.'

Andy smiled. 'That's just one of the reasons why I love you, Prue.'

'Why did you have to stay so late at work this evening?' asked Prue. 'Don't they realise you worked overtime yesterday? Yesterday's shift did not end until four this morning.'

Andy sighed. He began to mash up his cheesecake with his fork.

'Andy, what's wrong?'

'My main reason for being late out of work this evening was not for any ordinary paper work,' said Andy.

'Andy, you know you can tell me anything,' said Prue. 'There are no secrets between the two of us.'

'Prue, I will tell you, but this is confidential stuff,' said Andy.

'You know I would never let whatever you tell me leave this table,' said Prue.

'I know,' said Andy. His cheesecake no longer resembled a cheesecake.

'Stop playing with your food and look at me,' said Prue.

Andy dropped his fork and looked at Prue.

'Prue, when they offered me the San Francisco job in 1998, my job role would have been to do with resolving homicide cases,' began Andy.

'I know that,' said Prue. 'That was what you had always wanted to do. I felt so guilty that you had to turn it down because I was pregnant.'

'You should never feel guilty,' said Andy. 'Petey is one of my favourite people on this planet. You are my other favourite.'

Prue smiled. 'I never said I regretted Petey. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. Apart from you, that is.'

Andy smiled, but his smile was short-lived as he returned to the point of the conversation.

'When I was offered the job again, earlier this year, I thought it was for the same role,' said Andy.

'It isn't?' said Prue. 'You are not working at the San Francisco P.D. as a homicide detective?'

'Yes and no,' said Andy.

'What is it, Andy?' asked Prue. She was worried now.

'When I was offered the job this time, I was told that I was also being brought in as an outside observer,' said Andy.

'Could you explain in more detail?' asked Prue. 'More detail, but a cliff notes version would still be good.'

Andy chuckled for a second before becoming serious again.

'Basically, when I first accepted the job, I was told that I would be joining a vital investigation. Apparently, over the past three years, a string of unexplained, unresolved, unconnected deaths had been connected to one family. As a newbie to the area and San Francisco P.D., I could be an unbiased detective in this investigation,' said Andy.

'Despite the serious nature of this serial killing family being on the loose in San Francisco, isn't this the sort of thing you have always wanted to do?' asked Prue.

'Yes,' hesitated Andy. 'That is why I decided to move here immediately after accepting the job.'

'What's changed?' asked Prue anxiously.

Andy did not answer. The waiter had approached the table and was clearing their dessert plates.

'Would you like the bill, sir?' the waiter asked.

'Yes, please,' said Andy.

The waiter nodded and walked away with the plates.

'What's changed?' repeated Prue.

'This afternoon I was pulled aside by the chief to explain to me who the family was so as I could research them before I start the official investigation later this year,' said Andy.

'Are you trying to say that..?' started Prue. She was beginning to see where Andy was taking this.

'The family that I had previously agreed to investigate is the Halliwell sisters,' said Andy. 'I only got told that this afternoon.'

Prue's eyes widened. She was fuming. 'The same Halliwell sisters that we left our son with this evening?'

* * *

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were sitting at the kitchen table.

'Andy cannot be a witch,' said Phoebe.

'Or white lighter,' added Paige.

'We knew him when we were little,' said Phoebe. 'He was so not a witch.'

'Or white lighter,' added Paige.

'How do we know? We could not even remember ever being witches when we were little because mum and Grams bound our powers,' said Piper. 'For all we know, Andy was also a witch.'

'Or white lighter,' added Paige.

'Do you think Andy would ever even admit to us if he was a witch?' asked Phoebe.

'Or white lighter,' added Paige.

'Ask yourself the same thing. Would we ever admit to Andy that we were witches?' asked Piper.

'Good point,' said Phoebe.

'Why are we only considering Andy?' asked Paige. 'We knew him when we were little. We only just met Prue today. She could be the witch or white lighter.'

'Good point,' said Phoebe.

'Still, we cannot just go up to Prue and ask 'are you a witch?' ('Or a white lighter' added Paige) and expect her to tell us the truth,' said Piper. 'If someone asked us – whether we had known them forever or less than a day – we would never reveal it to them.'

'Good point,' said Phoebe.

'We should find a spell in the Book that will help us find the truth,' said Paige. 'A spell we can use on both Andy and Prue when they come to pick up Petey.'

'Good point,' said Phoebe. 'Where's the Book?'

The sisters noticed the Book was not in the kitchen but remembered Paige having it in the living room.

'Paige, did you leave it in the living room?' asked Piper.

'Er, maybe,' said Paige, going red in the face with embarrassment.

'Paige! What if he reads a spell?' said Piper.

'If he is a white lighter the spell won't work,' muttered Paige.

'Paige, we all know he is more likely to be half witch than half white lighter,' said Phoebe.

Paige sighed and then said, 'Book of Shadows.'

In a flurry of orbs the Book appeared on the coffee table.

'You are getting lazy, Paige,' Phoebe laughed.

'What?' said Paige, trying to hide her smile.

'You have been telekinetically orbing everything to you recently instead of going to get it,' laughed Phoebe.

Paige shrugged. 'Oh well.'

Phoebe raised her eyebrows. 'Personal gain?'

Piper was busy staring at the Book. 'Paige, did you leave the Book open when you left it in the living room?'

'No,' said Paige. 'I left it closed.'

Phoebe and Paige suddenly noticed that the Book on the table was open.

'Do you think he has been reading it?' said Paige.

'Why else would it be open on the Belthazor page?' said Piper rhetorically.

'I better go check on Petey,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe stood up and hurried out of the kitchen.

'She is going in there to see if Petey accidentally summoned Cole, isn't she?' Paige said to Piper.

'Probably,' said Piper, rolling her –

'Don't roll your eyes,' said Paige.

'How did you know I was going to do that?' gaped Piper.

Paige laughed. 'Let's start looking for a spell to use on Andy and Prue,' said Paige. She began to flick through the Book.

As Phoebe approached the living room she could hear Cole talking to Petey. Phoebe stopped outside the unlit living room to listen.

'The little boy remained in the village, even though he had the problem of transforming into that scary monster every evening. One day while he was wandering the village he saw a horse get loose from a villager's cart. The horse was heading straight for a little girl. At the speed that the horse was going, the girl would never be able to get out of the horse's way in time. Using his superhuman strength the little boy jumped between the little girl and the horse. The horse was slowed down as it hit the little boy, so the little girl was able to get to safety. However the little boy was thrown back to the ground and became unconscious. When he woke up he noticed that he was in unfamiliar surroundings. He was in someone else's room, lying on someone else's bed. There was a damp cloth on his forehead. The door opened and the little girl walked in. 'Are you feeling better now?' she asked him. 'I cannot believe the only injury you suffered is a cut on the head.' The little boy smiled and replied, 'I am quite robust.' Suddenly the boy noticed that it was almost dusk. He tried to get up but he felt dizzy. 'You cannot leave until the doctor has come to check on you,' said the girl. 'I have to leave now,' said the boy. 'No. You need to fully recover,' said the girl. Suddenly, the girl stood back from the boy and said, 'What big ears you have…' The boy realised it was too late. The transformation was starting. 'What big eyes you have…' the girl screeched. The boy jumped off the bed. 'You were not that tall before!' shrieked the girl. It was too late. The boy had already transformed into the monster.'

'No!' shouted Petey. 'He is good! He is good!'

'I know that, scamp, but the little boy could not control the monster inside him,' said Cole. 'With his secret found out, the monster fled from the village into the darkness. Over many decades, he forgot all about his human half and practically allowed the evil monster to take over.'

'No!' shouted Petey. 'Tell him he is good!'

'In all this time, the monster's human half only aged around twenty five years. Soon he was asked to find and get rid of three women,' continued Cole. 'He agreed to do it.'

'No! Tell him he is good!' shouted Petey.

'When the monster met the three women, he used his human half as a disguise to get close to them. He got especially close to the middle sister, the most beautiful of the three women,' said Cole.

'No! Don't let the monster eat them,' shouted Petey.

Cole chuckled before continuing. 'The monster did something that he never thought could happen. He fell in love with the woman. She made him remember his human half and become good again.'

'That's good,' said Petey. 'Did he keep his cool magics?'

Cole chuckled again. 'Yes he did, but he only used his powers for good from then on. And he lived happily ever after with the princess that had rescued him.'

'The magics is cool when he is good,' said Petey.

'Anyway, scamp, get to sleep,' said Cole. 'Your babysitters have probably realised you are still awake.'

'They made the book disappear!' laughed Petey.

'Night, scamp,' said Cole.

Phoebe heard Cole stand up.

'Night, Co,' said Petey.

'It is Cole. There is an 'el' sound on the end,' said Cole.

'Night, Co-la,' said Petey.

Cole chuckled. 'Co was closer.'

Cole walked into the foyer area where Phoebe was standing.

'You heard my bedtime story?' Cole asked Phoebe.

Phoebe nodded. 'Was all of it true? That was definitely about you.'

'Yes, it was true,' said Cole, giving Phoebe a kiss. 'You rescued me from the monster that I had become.'

Phoebe blushed. 'How long were you in there before Paige realised she had left the Book in there.'

'The kid summoned me around half an hour ago,' said Cole. 'I started talking to him about his powers. Apparently this evening was the first time he ever experienced having any powers. He always thought he and his parents were normal.'

'Hmm… Maybe Andy or Prue – whichever is the magical one of the two – decided to bind his powers, like Grams and mum did to us,' said Phoebe.

'Do you have any idea whether it is Prue or Andy that is the witch?' Cole asked.

Paige orbed into the foyer and added, 'Or white lighter.'

'Paige, we just established that Petey's powers were bound up until today,' said Phoebe irritably. 'White lighters cannot cast a binding spell.'

'Oops, that's true,' laughed Paige.

'You must have hawk-like hearing to have heard me all the way from the kitchen,' said Phoebe.

'You must be talking quite loudly,' countered Paige.

'Definitely not. We have been whispering because we do not want to stop Petey from falling asleep in the next room,' said Phoebe.

Paige shrugged and orbed back to the kitchen.

Resuming their previous conversation, Cole said, 'He's a good kid. A real powerful kid too, if you ask me. He managed to summon me.'

'I cannot believe he managed to do something that I could not do,' moaned Phoebe. 'I had been trying to summon you most of yesterday before I gave up and decided to wait for you to show up at the mausoleum.'

'That should definitely prove that the kid is a first born witch,' said Cole. 'The first born is always the strongest.'

Phoebe did not respond. She just stared lovingly at Cole.

'What?' said Cole.

'I had never thought of you as the father type figure until just now,' said Phoebe.

Cole smiled and kissed Phoebe.

'Can we break this little party up?'

Phoebe and Cole released each other to see Piper and Paige standing in the corridor. Piper had the Book in her hands. Piper and Paige looked slightly uneasy at what they had just witnessed between Phoebe and Cole in the foyer.

'Kitchen,' said Piper.

The four of them walked into the kitchen. Piper put the Book on the table. The Book was opened up to a particular page.

'We found the perfect spell,' said Piper.

'It is a truth spell that only lasts for twenty four hours,' said Paige. 'Whoever is in the house when we cast it will be able to get the truth out of others. However there is also the issue of us having to answer anything we are asked truthfully too.'

'I think we can work around that,' said Piper.

'How? Surely once we have asked Andy and Prue if they are witches, they may decide to ask us the same thing,' said Phoebe.

'That is the good part about this spell,' said Paige. 'After twenty four hours is up, no one we have come in contact with will remember a thing so if we were to accidentally tell them, they would not remember.'

'Okay,' said Phoebe. 'This is looking good, but if the spell affects whoever is in the household at the time, we cannot cast it with Petey here.'

Piper and Paige agreed.

'Is he asleep?' Piper asked Phoebe.

'He should be by now,' said Phoebe with a quick glance over at Cole. Cole smiled.

'Well, we don't want to wake him up,' said Piper.

'I can shimmer him out of here with me until you have finished casting the spell,' suggested Cole.

'No!' was the immediate response from both Piper and Paige.

'We are not letting you take him to the underworld with you,' said Piper.

'I never said the underworld,' said Cole. 'I just meant it as a way to take him out of the house without having to wake him up.'

'I would rather call Leo and get him to orb out of here with Petey,' said Piper.

'I am with Piper on that,' said Paige.

'We cannot risk calling for Leo,' said Phoebe.

'Why would calling Leo be a risk?' asked Piper.

'You could risk shouting Leo's name so loudly that you wake Petey,' said Phoebe. 'If the kid is finally asleep, we don't want to wake him. That Prue woman was grouchy enough with us before she left her child in our care. If we take him back to her sleep-deprived… Well, let's just say that our first impression of her may have been her in a good mood.'

Cole laughed and said sarcastically, 'This woman sounds like a barrel of laughs.'

'Okay, I see your point, Pheebs, but I still do not want Cole to be Petey's temporary chaperone.'

'I will do it,' offered Paige. 'I can orb with him to my car. That way he will stay in the warmth and hopefully not wake up, but he will be out of the house for the time that you need to cast the spell.'

'Are you sure you won't mind doing that?' said Phoebe. 'It means you won't be able to get the truth out of others.'

'We don't need all three of us to be under the truth spell,' said Paige.

'Yeah, but it also means you may not remember much about the next twenty four hours in twenty four hours time,' said Piper.

'Piper, don't worry. You two can give me the cliff notes version of what I forget,' said Paige.

This plan of action was quickly agreed upon.

* * *

'Where is the waiter with that bill?'

Prue and Andy were waiting for the waiter to return with their bill. Prue was getting impatient, worried for her child's safety considering Andy had let her leave Petey with suspected murderers.

Prue noticed the waiter had a bill on a small dish in his hand. The waiter was across the room.

Suddenly, the piece of paper that was the bill flew off of the dish, across the room, landing on the table in front of them.

'How?' said Andy.

'I don't know,' said Prue, picking up the bill to look at it. 'Maybe there is a draft in here.'

Prue was looking up and down the bill. It was not theirs.

The waiter had reached their table.

'I apologise, ma'am,' the waiter said to Prue, as he took the bill from her. 'There must have been a breeze. This bill is for another table.'

'Can we get our bill, please?' said Prue as politely as she could manage in her bid to get out of the restaurant.

'Yes, ma'am,' said the waiter, making his way over to the till.

'Prue, we are in no rush,' said Andy. 'The Halliwell sisters are not murderers.'

'How do you know, Andy?' said Prue. 'This is the first time you have seen them since you were eighteen. Over ten years have passed. People change. They may no longer be the people you thought you knew.'

'The Halliwells are good people,' said Andy.

'Andy! You have been asked to investigate them! They are murder suspects! Not just for one murder but for a whole bunch of murders! They could be serial killers!' said Prue. 'And please Andy, stop calling them by their surname. It makes me uncomfortable because my surname is the same.'

'Prue, I would not have left our son with them if I did not think they were safe and being wrongly accused,' said Andy.

'Where is that waiter with the bill?' said Prue, looking around the restaurant for the waiter.

A different waiter was passing their table with a sealed bottle of champagne in his hands. All of a sudden the cork blew off the bottle and champagne went flying everywhere. Dinner plates went flying off of nearby tables onto the floor. Chairs – some with guests on – began to tip onto the floor. Glasses fell to the floor. The lights flickered on and off.

Prue hardly noticed any of this destruction take place because she was so anxious about Petey's safety.

* * *

Paige orbed into the kitchen. She had just been into the living room to check on Petey.

'I can confirm that Petey is sound asleep,' said Paige.

'When are we casting the spell?' asked Phoebe.

'We should do it now,' said Piper. 'They are not due back until at least midnight but we do not want Petey and Paige in the car when they get back.'

Paige agreed.

The sisters and Cole went into the living room. Paige picked the sleeping Petey up and orbed out of the living room into her car.

In her car, Paige rested the sleeping Petey on the backseat and then jumped into the front seat so as she could quickly switch the engine on and turn the heating on.

* * *

Back in the manor, Piper was setting everything up for the truth spell in the kitchen.

'We should hurry,' said Piper, looking at her watch. 'It is half eleven. The closest restaurant is a half hour drive from here.'

'Is it that late already?' asked Phoebe. She had not realised how fast the evening was going by. She grabbed Piper's wrist to look at her watch for proof.

Touching Piper's watch sent Phoebe into a premonition.

'Phoebe?' said Piper.

Phoebe came out of her premonition.

'What did you see?' Piper asked.

'Andy and Prue paying their restaurant bill, putting their coats on, and leaving the restaurant,' said Phoebe.

'So we still have time if that was the future,' said Piper.

'No, there was a clock visible on the restaurant wall,' said Phoebe.

'What time did it say?' asked Piper.

'Five to eleven,' said Phoebe.

Piper's eyes widened. 'So they are going to be here any minute?'

Phoebe nodded.

* * *

**A/N:** Before anyone asks why they had not seen the truth spell before: In the first season of the canon, Prue is the one who finds it and uses it as personal gain. Therefore, with no Prue in their first year of witches back in 1998, they never found the truth spell. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews. Yes, it was definitely strange writing that Cole loved the middle sister (and not the youngest). Also as to the past life, there was a reason why I brought that up in chapter two. It will get a mention again. Glad you noticed that. :) As to their time wasting, it is all about making the chaos all happen at once. Oh, and to try and avoid confusion, the kitchen scenes and attic scenes towards the end occur simultaneously as characters enter and leave to go from one scene to the other but I could not switch between them in the middle because I wanted to keep each scene as a whole.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Paige heard the car pull onto the drive behind her. She quickly orbed out of her car, leaving Petey by himself. Paige had orbed herself around the corner so as she could look like she was returning to the manor after a walk.

When Paige reached the manor steps, Prue and Andy were ringing the doorbell with no reply.

'They are terrible at answering their door,' said Prue. 'This is exactly what they did earlier when I turned up with Petey.'

'Hi there,' Paige shouted.

Prue and Andy turned to see Paige behind them.

'Paige,' said Andy. 'What are you doing out here?'

'Oh, I went for a walk,' Paige lied. 'I did not think it would matter. There are still three adults in the manor to look after Petey.' (This was partially true: Piper and Phoebe were there. Leo wasn't, but Cole was.)

'Okay,' said Prue.

Paige could tell that Prue was not convinced by Paige's words. It was almost as if Prue had no trust in Paige or her sisters.

'They are not answering the door again,' said Prue. 'Do you have keys to let us in?'

'Yes I do,' said Paige. She began to fumble in her pocket for her keys. She was purposefully taking her time. 'So how was your evening? You are back extremely early.'

'Our evening was… varied,' said Andy.

'Is that your car?' Prue asked pointing at Paige's car.

It was obvious that the car's engine was running even though the car was stationary.

'Yes it is,' said Paige.

'Why did you leave the engine on?' asked Prue. 'You said you have been for a walk.'

'I was going to pop out in my car, but I needed the engine to heat up first,' improvised Paige. 'It is a cold night, you know.'

'We know,' said Prue bitterly, referring to the fact that she and Andy were waiting outside for the manor door to be opened.

'Paige, you should not leave your car unattended with the engine running,' said Andy.

Paige was still pretending to look for her keys in her pockets.

'Especially,' began Prue as she walked over to Paige's car and opened the front door. 'Especially when your house keys are attached to your car keys.'

Prue took the keys out of the ignition and threw the keys at Paige. Paige caught the keys.

'Good catch,' said Prue with a smile.

'Thanks,' said Paige. This was the first time she had seen Prue act genuinely nice to her. 'I can be a bit of a scatterbrain sometimes.'

Paige was trying to divert their attention from her car now. She was lucky that Prue had not noticed Petey in the backseat when she had gone to the front seat for the keys.

'So could you open the door now?' asked Prue. 'I want to see Petey.'

'Sure,' said Paige, slowly walking up the steps. Would Piper and Phoebe have had the chance to cast the spell yet?

* * *

Piper and Phoebe had the Book out in front of them. They had already heard the doorbell ring a couple of times. However, it had stopped for now, but Prue and Andy had not tried phoning the house.

Piper and Phoebe began to recite the spell:

'_For those who want the truth revealed, _

_Opened hearts and secrets unsealed, _

_From now until it's now again, _

_After which the memory ends. _

_Those who now are in this house, _

_Will hear the truth from other's mouths._'

'Do you think it worked?' Phoebe asked after they had recited it.

'We cannot be sure until we try it out,' said Piper.

Cole walked into the kitchen.

'Cole! Were you in the house when we cast it?' asked Piper in surprise and annoyance.

'Yes, I was,' said Cole. 'I decided to get a bit of the spell. I am off to the underworld to do a bit of demon interrogation for you three.'

'Cole!' shouted Phoebe, but it was too late. He had already shimmered out.

'You aren't mad at him for staying in the house while we cast the truth spell, are you?' asked Piper.

'Of course not,' said Phoebe. 'I always find it quite funny when he goes against your orders. No one ever put you in charge.'

'Phoebe, no one put me in charge! I was born in charge,' said Piper. 'Why are you mad at him then?'

'He is risking his neck _again_ to help us,' said Phoebe.

'I actually quite like Cole's choice of use for the truth spell,' admitted Piper. 'Using it to get information from demons before they venture up here to attack us.'

Leo orbed into the kitchen.

'Hi sweetie,' said Piper.

'Hi honey,' said Leo. 'Er, did you know that Paige is outside the front door trying to stall Prue and Andy? She cannot keep it up much longer.'

'No, we did not know that,' said Phoebe.

'What's going on?' asked Leo.

'Truth spell,' said Piper. She could tell that the truth spell was going to force her to go into more detail with the reply.

'I will go get the door,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe left Piper and Leo in the kitchen and made her way to the foyer. She opened the front door.

'Hi Andy and Prue! You are back early!' said Phoebe.

'We were back a lot earlier, but you were not answering your doorbell,' said Prue.

'Paige was just about to open the door for us,' said Andy.

'Sorry about that,' said Phoebe. 'I don't think our doorbell works. We did not hear it go off once.'

'It does not make a sound at all?' said Andy.

'Of course it did. We were just ignoring it,' said Phoebe. She covered her mouth in embarrassment, but it was too late. She had already said it.

'Were you ignoring it earlier too?' asked Prue.

'No. Earlier was an honest mistake. We had only just gotten in,' said Phoebe. The truth spell was extremely powerful.

'I thought you said you could not hear it because you were in the attic earlier,' said Prue.

'We were,' said Phoebe.

'That makes no sense,' said Prue, brushing it off. She did not trust the Halliwell sisters so she was not going to quiz Phoebe for the truth when she knew Phoebe was probably full of lies (Oh the irony).

Prue and Andy had entered the foyer.

Phoebe saw Paige give her a thumbs up as a signal to shut the door. Paige was going to remain outside for now. Phoebe shut the door.

'Is Paige not coming in?' asked Andy.

'She will be in the living room in a minute,' said Phoebe.

'She cannot get to the living room if you close the front door on her,' said Prue.

'She can,' said Phoebe.

Leo and Piper walked into the foyer.

'Phoebe, let Leo do the talking for now,' said Piper quietly when she was stood next to her sister.

'Fine with me,' whispered Phoebe.

* * *

When the front door was shut, Paige ran back down to her car. She hoped the car had not gotten too cold with the engine switched off.

Paige opened the back door of the car. She had to be fast in orbing Petey back into the living room. Prue and Andy would want to see him any minute.

Petey was no longer on the back seat. The blanket and pillow were there, but there was no Petey!

Paige looked up at the ceiling of her car, in the front seats, even in the boot, but there was no sign of Petey.

Paige decided to see if she could retrieve Petey from wherever he was with her power.

'Petey,' she said. Nothing happened.

* * *

'Let's go into the kitchen,' said Leo. 'Have a nice chat and some coffee.'

Leo, Prue, and Andy began to walk down the corridor towards the kitchen.

'We can't go in the kitchen, Leo,' said Piper. The Book of Shadows was still on the kitchen table.

Leo stopped in his tracks. Prue and Andy did too.

Leo knew not to ask why as he knew about the truth spell. However Prue and Andy were oblivious to everything. Therefore, it was Andy who asked, 'Why can't we go in the kitchen?'

Piper and Phoebe exchanged nervous glances. Both felt magically compelled to answer with the truth.

'It's because we left –' Before Piper could finish the sentence, Phoebe had her hand over Piper's mouth.

'Phoebe left some work all over the kitchen table,' lied Leo.

'If you knew that, then why did you suggest going to the kitchen?' asked Prue.

'I can be a bit of a scatterbrain sometimes,' said Leo with a smile.

It was Prue and Andy's turn to exchange looks this time. Hadn't this been the same excuse that Paige had used moments before? It was almost as if the household rehearsed excuses for possible scenarios.

In the corner of their eyes, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo saw the familiar blue glow that suggested someone had orbed into the living room. Paige was back.

* * *

Paige orbed into the dark living room.

'Petey,' she whispered, hoping he had somehow made his way back there. No answer.

* * *

'Let's go into the living room,' said Leo. 'We can see Petey.'

Paige ran out of the living room into the foyer.

'Weren't you just outside?' asked Andy in surprise.

'How did you get into the living room without coming through the front door?' asked Prue.

At a time like this, Paige was happy she had not been in the house for the truth spell. With a smile, Paige willingly lied, 'Yes I was outside. I came back in a couple of minutes ago. You had your back to the door so did not notice me. Isn't that right, Leo?'

'Yeah, it is,' said Leo, lying to back Paige up – something that Piper and Phoebe were currently unable to do. 'It was when we were about to go into the kitchen.'

'Exactly,' said Paige. 'And I did not come over to say hi again because I wanted to check on Petey in the living room.'

'Is he asleep?' asked Andy.

Paige nodded.

'Can we see him now?' asked Prue.

'Er,' said Paige. She could not tell them that she had lost their son. She needed to somehow get Piper and Phoebe on their own to talk to them while keeping Prue and Andy from going in the living room. The question was: How?

'Don't disturb Petey just yet. I want him to sleep for a bit longer,' said Paige. 'Leo, can you take Prue and Andy to the kitchen for a coffee while I speak to Piper and Phoebe?'

'No, the kitchen is a mess,' squeaked Piper.

'Why?' Paige knew she should not have asked it. 'Oops, sorry. Don't answer!'

'Why shouldn't she answer?' asked Prue.

'It is my fault the kitchen is in a mess,' said Paige.

'Don't take the blame for me, Paige,' said Phoebe. 'Leo has already told them it is my fault.'

'Oh,' said Paige, slowly catching up with what she had missed.

Paige looked up at Leo who mouthed 'Book of Shadows' at her.

'Oh,' Paige said again as she realised why the kitchen was currently off limits. 'Excuse me for a second. Don't go anywhere while I am gone.'

Paige ran half way up the staircase until she was out of Prue and Andy's sight before orbing to the attic.

Paige held out her hands and said, 'Book of Shadows.'

In a flurry of orbs, the Book appeared in her hands. Like she expected it would be, it was open on the truth spell page. She put the Book down on the plinth and closed it.

Paige ran back down the stairs, returning to the foyer.

Piper, Phoebe, Leo, Prue, and Andy were staring at her expectantly. She had told them not to go anywhere so they expected her to say something when she returned to them.

'I just checked Phoebe's room. All her work is in there. I remember clearing it up earlier but had to check you had not moved it all back in there,' lied Paige. 'So Leo, you can take Prue and Andy into the kitchen without anything to worry about.'

Leo took the hint and accompanied Prue and Andy to the kitchen.

When Leo, Prue, and Andy were safely out of earshot, Piper turned to Paige and said, 'What's wrong?'

Paige could feel the effects of the truth spell and sighed. 'I don't need to be forced to answer your question truthfully, because I want to tell you the truth anyway.'

'Paige, get to the point,' said Phoebe.

'I lost Petey and I cannot find him,' said Paige. She gulped in fear awaiting her sisters' reactions.

'Paige! How did you manage to lose him?' shouted Piper.

'I had to leave him in my car while I went to distract Andy and Prue,' said Paige. 'When I got back to my car, he was gone.'

'Did you look up at your car's ceiling?' asked Phoebe.

'Of course I looked there first, Pheebs!' said Paige. 'How dumb do you think I am?' Then Paige remembered about the truth spell and added, 'On second thought, don't answer that.'

Phoebe laughed but Piper could see no funny side.

'Piper, don't roll your eyes,' said Paige, trying to lighten the mood a little.

'How did y – Never mind that, Paige! This is not the time for that!' yelled Piper. 'How do you expect Phoebe and I to answer questions of the whereabouts of their son?'

'I put the Book back in the attic. Petey is a witch, so go up there and scry for him. You can use one of the toys he played with for the scrying,' said Paige. 'I will go in the kitchen and help Leo to keep them occupied.'

Piper nodded. 'Okay.'

'How about the reason we cast the truth spell?' asked Phoebe. 'When are Piper and I going to get the chance to ask Andy or Prue if they are witches?'

'We have to find Petey first,' said Paige.

'Paige is right. Finding Petey is more important,' agreed Piper.

'Yeah, but we only have over twenty three hours left of the truth spell,' said Phoebe.

'I am hoping we don't take anywhere near that long to find Petey,' said Piper.

'What Piper said,' agreed Paige. 'I will send Leo up to you in a few minutes so as you can explain it all to him. I cannot explain anything to him in front of Andy and Prue.'

Piper and Phoebe nodded. Piper began to go up the stairs. Phoebe went into the living room to pick up a toy. Paige entered the kitchen.

'Was Petey good for you this evening?' asked Andy as Leo handed him a cup of coffee.

'He was well-behaved,' said Leo. 'He is such a sweet kid.'

Prue and Andy smiled.

'Did you say you wanted your coffee leaded, Prue?' Leo asked.

'Please,' said Prue.

Leo began to make a leaded cup of coffee for Prue. Paige came and sat on the empty kitchen chair next to Prue.

'We would love to look after Petey again,' said Paige. 'In fact, if you wanted, we could leave him to sleep here the rest of the night and you can pick him up tomorrow morning.'

Paige was hoping that they would accept the offer, but Paige did not know the thoughts, worries, and concerns racing through Prue's mind.

'No!' said Prue. When Andy looked at Prue with worry, Prue composed herself, and said, 'No, but thank you for the offer. We want to take him home now.'

'Prue doesn't mean to sound so impolite, do you, honey?' said Andy.

'Of course not,' lied Prue. 'It is not very often that Andy and I… We are not used to… I am quite protective of Petey.'

'Me too,' said Andy.

Leo handed Prue her cup of leaded coffee and sat down on the empty seat next to Andy.

'So where have Piper and Phoebe gone?' asked Andy.

'I was wondering that,' said Prue and Leo at the same time.

The four adults laughed.

'Phoebe is on a deadline for tomorrow so she had to rush to do that,' said Paige. 'Piper went upstairs to do something. I am not too sure what, but she told me to ask you – Leo – to come up and help her.'

'Oh,' said Leo. 'I better go see what she wants.'

On that note, Leo left the kitchen.

'Phoebe told me earlier today that she was unemployed,' said Prue.

'Did she?' asked Paige. She did not remember this happening.

'Yes, you were keeping your eye on Petey at the time,' said Prue.

'Oh, the teddy bear,' said Paige. 'Sorry, I was not paying attention to the conversation earlier.'

'That's okay,' said Prue. 'I have never seen Petey open up to anyone else before like he did to you. Anyone else other than Andy or I, that is.'

Paige nodded. 'Thank you, I think.'

'How can Phoebe have a deadline when she has no work?' asked Prue.

'Oh,' said Paige. 'Er, Phoebe has no job at the moment but the work I mentioned was job application forms she has been filling out. The deadline for one of the applications is tomorrow.'

'We should wish her good luck before we leave then,' said Andy.

Paige was so relieved she had not been in the house for the truth spell. The amount of lies she was putting towards Prue and Andy at the moment was phenomenal.

Then Paige thought to herself, 'I bet Piper rolled her eyes just now.'

* * *

Piper was flicking through the Book of Shadows. When Phoebe entered the attic with the teddy bear, Piper left the Book open and started setting things up for scrying.

'What took you so long to get the teddy bear?' Piper asked Phoebe.

'After I picked up the teddy bear, I went out to Paige's car to see if I could force a premonition of what happened,' said Phoebe with a sigh.

'Did you get a premonition?' asked Piper hopefully.

Phoebe shook her head gloomily.

Piper found the scrying crystal while Phoebe got out a map of San Francisco.

'Let's hope he is within San Francisco,' said Piper when she saw Phoebe lay the map out on the table.

'How are we supposed to use a teddy bear to scry?' asked Phoebe. 'None of the toys he played with this evening are small enough to attach to the scrying crystal.'

'Just pull its eye off or something,' said Piper.

Phoebe hugged the teddy bear and said in a childish voice, 'Not the teddy.'

'Phoebe, it is only a toy. Petey is more important than a teddy's eye, which is just a bead,' said Piper.

Phoebe squeezed the teddy bear tighter before handing it over to Piper. Piper pulled one of the beads off the teddy bear and with a piece of string, tied the bead to the crystal.

Piper began to scry for Petey. Phoebe wandered over to the Book to see what Piper had been looking at.

'_To Call a Lost Witch_,' read Phoebe. 'Piper, what is this?'

Piper did not look up from the map as the crystal continued to rotate at the end of the string.

'I was looking for alternative ways of trying to locate Petey in case scrying did not work,' said Piper.

Phoebe was skim-reading the page. 'This seems extremely complicated, Piper. We have to make up a potion for this spell.'

'I know, which is why I am hoping that scrying works,' said Piper.

The crystal stopped moving. It had not landed on any part of the map. It had just stopped.

'Rats!' said Piper.

'It didn't work?' asked Phoebe.

'Nope.' Piper sighed and looked up at Phoebe. 'Phoebe, what ingredients do we need for that spell?'

'What spell is this?'

Piper and Phoebe looked at the attic entrance. Leo had just entered the attic.

'The _To Call a Lost Witch_ spell,' answered Phoebe.

'Why do you need that?' asked Leo, worry in his voice.

'We need that spell because scrying did not work,' said Piper.

'You two are under a truth spell yet you cannot be more specific, and actually give me the answer I want,' laughed Leo.

'Sorry Leo, we have to practice avoiding blurting everything out while under the influence of the truth spell on someone,' said Piper.

Piper was now looking at the Book of Shadows, figuring out what they needed for the spell.

'Could you tell me why Paige wanted me to come up here now?' asked Leo.

'Yes we can,' said Phoebe with a grin. 'Sorry, Leo. I could not resist. You asked whether we can tell you and the truth is, we can. Your question did not require a more specific answer than that.'

Piper rolled her eyes.

'I bet Paige knows you just rolled your eyes,' laughed Phoebe.

'Phoebe, we don't have time to tease Leo or to talk about how well Paige knows my habits,' said Piper.

'Thanks, Piper,' said Leo. 'Now, please tell me what is going on.'

'We lost Petey,' said Phoebe.

'What?' Leo was astonished. 'How did you manage that?'

'Well, Paige orbed out of the manor with him while Piper and I cast the spell,' started Phoebe. 'Then Andy and Prue returned earlier than we thought so Paige had to leave Petey unattended while she stalled them. When she got back to her car, Petey was gone.'

'Paige and your role _was_ to keep Andy and Prue preoccupied in the kitchen while Piper and I located Petey,' said Piper.

'Why?' asked Leo.

'Phoebe and I cannot lie if asked direct questions so it would be dangerous for us to be the ones distracting Andy and Prue from the whereabouts of their son,' said Piper.

'No, I realised that bit,' said Leo. 'I meant why did you use the past tense for my role being to keep Prue and Andy preoccupied?'

'Scrying for him did not work so I want to try this _To Call a Lost Witch_ spell,' explained Piper. 'However I only have a couple of the ingredients required for the spell in the kitchen. I need you to go and get the one ingredient I don't have.'

Piper wrote the ingredient onto a scrap of paper. She gave the scrap of paper to Leo.

'Get the yarrow root as fast as possible,' said Piper.

Leo nodded and orbed out.

'How are we going to get the other ingredients out of the kitchen without Andy and Prue noticing?' asked Phoebe.

'We need Paige,' said Piper.

'Why?' asked Phoebe.

'She can come up here and telekinetically orb anything we need from the kitchen without Andy or Prue noticing,' explained Piper. 'Now go get Paige up here.'

Phoebe nodded and left the attic.

In the kitchen, Phoebe found Prue, Paige, and Andy sitting around the kitchen table. Paige looked up when she saw Phoebe come in.

'Paige, we need you upstairs,' said Phoebe.

Paige stood up and joined Phoebe by the kitchen doorway.

'Are you coming back up too?' Paige asked Phoebe.

'Yes, but I want to ask Andy and Prue something first,' said Phoebe, turning from Paige to Prue and Andy.

Prue and Andy looked at Phoebe. So did Paige. Was Phoebe impatient enough to choose now to ask the question that had been their reason for casting the truth spell?

'Prue, what were your initial impressions of me and my sisters?' Phoebe asked.

Paige laughed to herself. It appeared to Paige that Phoebe may actually care what Prue thought of her.

'Well, I admire your confidence and your fearlessness, Phoebe. When I first met you this evening, you were willing to ask me anything in order to find out exactly what you wanted to know,' said Prue.

Paige stifled a laugh. What Prue had just described about Phoebe was also apparent due to the question Prue was currently answering.

Prue turned to Paige to continue her response. 'Paige, I know you are not a mother and you may not have anyone special in your life right now, but when you do… They will be lucky to have you. When I saw you sitting with Petey earlier, it warmed my heart to see how caring you were.'

'Thank you,' said Paige.

Prue smiled at Paige before she turned her thoughts onto Piper. 'And your eldest sister, Piper. I respect how quickly she made sure to defend you, Phoebe. That is what I believe being the eldest is all about… Seeing you three earlier this evening made me wish even more that I had siblings of my own.'

Phoebe, Paige, and Andy smiled at Prue's lovely reply.

Prue suddenly blushed. 'I do not know why I went into so much detail.'

Phoebe and Paige exchanged looks. They knew why. Good old truth spell.

'I have another question. It is for the two of you this time,' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe,' said Paige warningly. If the previous question had not been the one about their magical knowledge, then this one had to be.

Phoebe ignored Paige's warning and asked:

'Are either of you two witches?'

* * *

**A/N:** Before anyone wonders why Prue gave such nice accounts of the three sisters considering she thinks they are murderers, it is because Phoebe asked for Prue's _initial_ impressions – as in the impressions before Prue found out that the Halliwell sisters could be murderers. Prue will become more persistent about seeing Petey in the next chapter. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Prue and Andy exchanged confused looks. Phoebe was standing there waiting for their answer. Paige looked shocked at her sister's daring.

'No,' said both Prue and Andy.

'That is such a silly question,' said Prue. 'Why would y –'

'Are either of you white lighters?' Phoebe asked before Prue could finish her question.

'White whatters?' said Andy.

'What's goin –' Before Prue could complete her question Phoebe had ran out of the kitchen.

Prue and Andy turned to Paige for an explanation.

'Don't mind, Phoebe,' said Paige. 'She, er, she asks strange things sometimes.'

Before Prue and Andy could respond Paige had also run out of the kitchen.

Paige caught up with Phoebe on the stairs.

'Phoebe, why did you choose now to ask it?' moaned Paige.

'Which one?' asked Phoebe.

'The witch question,' said Paige. 'Even though, I don't understand why you had to press Prue for an opinion.'

'It looks like this Petey search is going to take a little longer than we thought and I did not want to waste the truth spell by not asking the witch question,' said Phoebe.

'That was so awkward though,' said Paige. 'And are you going to tell me why you needed to press Prue for an opinion?'

'I wanted to find out what Prue actually thought of us,' said Phoebe bluntly. Then she added, 'I thought that was obvious from the question I asked her.'

Phoebe and Paige entered the attic. Piper had a silver mortar out on a table and had lit some candles.

'What do you need me for?' asked Paige. 'Is it a Power of Three spell?'

Piper shook her head and passed Paige a scrap of paper.

'These ingredients are all present in the kitchen. I need you to telekinetically orb them here,' instructed Piper.

Paige looked concerned. 'Piper, don't you think Andy and Prue will notice the blue glows coming from the cupboards?'

'I doubt they will notice,' said Piper. 'Stop yammering and start calling for stuff.'

Paige sighed and looked at the first item on the list. 'Rosemary.'

As the rosemary appeared in a flurry of orbs Paige directed it towards Piper.

'Cypress,' said Paige. As the cypress appeared in a flurry of orbs Paige directed it to Piper.

Phoebe was looking at the Book. 'Piper, this spell is partially similar to the _Blood to Blood_ spell.'

'I know,' said Piper.

'Petey is not a relation,' continued Phoebe. 'Do we need to do the _Blood to Blood_ part of the spell?'

'He is not related, but it might help to strengthen the spell by using Charmed blood,' said Piper. 'Oh, that reminds me, Paige! Could you orb up a knife? I took our usual spell casting knives downstairs the other day to clean them.'

Paige sighed and said, 'Knife.'

The knife appeared in a flurry of orbs into Paige's hand. She placed the knife on the table by the silver mortar.

* * *

Two minutes after Phoebe and Paige had left the kitchen, Andy turned to Prue and said, 'What you said about the sisters, was that true?'

'Yes it was,' said Prue. 'Focus on the use of the past tense. It _was_ true. I did think that about them when I initially met them even if I did not voice it to them until just now when Phoebe asked.'

'Prue, are you still going on about my investigation?' asked Andy.

'Of course I am,' said Prue. 'I cannot shake the feeling that they could be –'

'They are not,' said Andy. 'I am going to prove them innocent in this investigation. Also, you know I would never have let them babysit Petey if I thought it were true.'

Prue and Andy did not notice the cupboard behind them light up around the edges with a blue glow.

Prue sighed. 'I know you would not have, Andy…'

'There is a 'but' on its way, isn't there?' said Andy.

For a second time, the cupboard behind them lit up around the edges with a blue glow.

Prue nodded. 'Andy, I hate to disagree with you, you know that.'

'Prue, what is wrong?' asked Andy.

'I hate to disagree with you, but since you told me about your investigation I have been unable to trust those three women. There have been so many clues to back up that they could be…'

Andy took a sip from his coffee cup but then realised it was empty. He waited for Prue to continue.

'A lot of the things that the sisters have been saying do not add up,' said Prue. 'It is as if they are hiding something.'

Andy was staring down at his coffee cup as he listened intently to his wife, while Prue was looking up at the ceiling as she tried to explain to Andy what was going through her mind. Therefore neither of them noticed the knife on the draining board next to the sink disappear in a flurry of blue orbs.

'Also since we have gotten back here they have not allowed us to see our own son,' said Prue. 'I don't care if they say they don't want us to disturb him too soon, he is my son!'

Andy looked up at Prue. 'Prue, if you were really that worried then you would have barged into the living room by now to see Petey. You know as well as I do that the sisters would never harm him.'

'The only reason I have not barged into that room yet to see my sleeping son is because of how I saw Paige treat him earlier. She appeared to care for him,' said Prue. 'That is the only thing that is keeping me sane right now.'

Prue stood up.

'You know what, Andy. They have all disappeared upstairs. Let's go check on Petey in the living room,' said Prue. 'I think he has had enough sleep by now.'

Andy stood up and followed Prue to the kitchen door.

'Why not?' agreed Andy.

* * *

Leo orbed into the attic where Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were setting up the last parts of the spell. Leo handed Piper the yarrow root and she added the right amount to the mortar.

'Piper?' said Leo.

'Yes, sweetie,' said Piper, not looking up at Leo.

'I was thinking… Why did you use the truth spell to find out whether they were witches?' asked Leo.

'It was the only way we could think of,' said Piper.

'You could have attempted to freeze them,' said Leo. 'Your power will not work on good witches, so if one of them had not frozen, you would have known.'

Piper looked up at Leo crossly.

'Why did you not tell me this earlier?' shouted Piper. 'We wouldn't have lost Petey then!'

Leo looked scared. 'Piper, you lost Petey _and_ cast the spell without consulting me first.'

'If you are going to moan about not being in control, then maybe you should not leave to see the Elders so often!' said Piper angrily.

'Oh, are we back to this morning's argument already!' shouted Leo.

'Yes! You left me at the passport agency because you thought the Elders were more important than me – your own wife!' shouted Piper.

'Piper! I have to go when they call me! It is my work!' shouted Leo.

Phoebe and Paige were standing in the middle of this argument feeling rather awkward.

'Er guys,' said Phoebe.

'Well, Leo, maybe you should marry the Elders then!' shouted Piper.

'Er guys,' said Paige.

'Fine!' shouted Leo.

Piper's eyes widened and she calmed down a little, almost bursting into laughter. 'Did you just agree to leave me to go and marry the Elders?'

Leo went pale, realising what he had said. 'I got caught up in the flow of the argument… I did not mean to say that.'

'Er guys,' said Phoebe and Paige together.

Piper and Leo turned to Phoebe and Paige.

'We need to get on with the spell,' said Phoebe.

'Remember, Petey?' said Paige.

Piper and Leo nodded. Piper returned to putting the ingredients together, while Leo stood quietly.

Cole shimmered into the attic.

'Cole, they need to concentrate on this spell,' Leo said to Cole.

'I have important information,' said Cole.

Leo glared at Cole. 'It can wait.'

Cole sat down on a chair in the corner of the attic and muttered to himself, 'It won't work.'

Leo, Piper, and Paige glared at Cole for saying this. Phoebe was about to say something. However when Piper gestured for Phoebe to take the knife from her, after Piper had added a drop of her own blood to the spell, Phoebe became distracted. She stared at the knife reluctantly.

'Why do I need this?' asked Phoebe.

'I already told you, Pheebs,' explained Piper. 'This may not be a spell to communicate with relatives, but I think Charmed blood will strengthen it.'

'You have Charmed blood,' said Phoebe.

'I think Piper is referring specifically to the Power of Three,' said Paige.

Paige took the knife from Phoebe. Paige added a drop of her blood to the mortar before handing the knife back to Phoebe.

'Pheebs, you are not screamish,' laughed Paige.

'I know,' said Phoebe. 'I just try to avoid this when I don't think it is necessary.'

'It is necessary,' said Piper. 'Anything to help us find Petey.'

'It's not necessary,' muttered Cole. This time no one heard him.

Phoebe sighed. Reluctantly she pricked her finger with the knife and added a drop of blood to the mortar.

The three sisters gathered around the Book.

'Are we still going to recite the _Blood to Blood_ part of this spell?' asked Phoebe.

'No,' said Piper. 'Petey is not related so that part has no significance.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige began to recite the spell:

'_Power of the witches rise,_

_Course unseen across the skies._

_Come to us who call you near,_

_Come to us and settle here._'

Suddenly there was a breeze in the room and a swirl of lights appeared within the circle of candles. This was closely followed by an eruption of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the three sisters, Leo, and Cole were still the only people present in the attic.

'Why didn't it work?' moaned Piper. She turned to Leo and said, 'It should have worked, right?'

'I don't know why it did not work,' said Leo.

Cole stood up and walked over to the Halliwells and Leo.

'I told you it would not work,' said Cole.

'Oh shut up, Cole,' said Piper grumpily.

'Piper, leave Cole alone,' said Phoebe tetchily.

'I agree with Piper,' said Paige. 'Cole, you must have put our focus off.'

'Oh my gosh, Paige,' shouted Phoebe. 'Can you never put your hatred of Cole to one side for a second? Petey's life may be at stake and all you can do is put Cole down!'

'Phoebe, Cole turned up here being all negative about our chances of finding Petey! Yet you decide that it is Paige who does not care about Petey!' shouted Piper.

'Piper, you are being just as bad as Paige!' shouted Phoebe. 'First of all you refused to let Cole take Petey –'

Paige interrupted Phoebe. 'Are you about to blame me for losing Petey? Don't you think I already blame myself for leaving him in the car? What was I supposed to do? Andy and Prue turned up early and I could not risk them going inside or noticing me in the car so I had to leave it in order to stall them.'

'I am not blaming you, Paige! I am blaming the two of you for not letting Cole take Petey!' shouted Phoebe.

'So you are saying it's my fault!' shouted Paige. 'Thanks!'

'Phoebe, you know we don't trust Cole!' shouted Piper.

'Next you two are going to start accusing Cole of being the demon who kidnapped Petey!' shouted Phoebe.

'Of course not!' shouted Piper. 'He was annoying enough to be present in the manor when we said the truth spell!'

'Stop fighting,' said Leo, raising his voice, taking control. 'We need to find Petey. Fighting won't help.'

Leo hugged Piper in an attempt to calm her down.

Phoebe embraced Cole in order to try and calm herself down and show him that she was not mad at him in the slightest.

Paige stood there awkwardly, waiting for the two couples to get back to the main issue of Petey. Paige cleared her throat and the couples separated. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige returned to the Book to look for an alternative way of trying to find Petey.

Piper looked up at Leo. 'Could you orb to the Elders and find out what they know?'

'They won't know anything,' said Cole.

Everyone looked over at Cole.

'What do you know?' Piper asked.

'So now you want to know,' laughed Cole.

'Truth spell. You have to answer,' said Paige.

'I know and I will if people stop interrupting me,' said Cole. 'When I was in the underworld interrogating demons – which was incredibly easy thanks to the truth spell – I found out that a demon had kidnapped a witch child. The demon had already taken the little boy to the Source. That is also why your spell did not work. The Source will have the boy protected against spells like that.'

'Say this was true, why would the Source want Petey?' asked Piper.

'Apparently the Source seems to think that Petey is the eldest child of the eldest Charmed One,' said Cole.

All eyes turned to Piper and Leo. Piper and Leo both blushed.

'Hey! We would have told you if we had had a child,' said Piper.

'And I am pretty sure we would never put our child up for adoption if we did have one,' added Leo.

Phoebe and Paige laughed at Piper and Leo's nervous responses.

'Why would the Source think that Petey is Piper's child?' asked Paige.

Cole shrugged. 'Maybe because you three were looking after him tonight. To be honest, I don't know but considering we are still in truth spell mode, we can ask him that when we rescue Petey.'

'Phoebe, Paige, and I are going down there, but not you, Cole,' said Piper.

Cole laughed. 'Piper, you need me. You won't be able to track the Source down without me.'

'Plus, with your explosion power's disappearance, Cole is our only source of fire power,' said Phoebe.

'How about me?' moaned Paige. 'I can use my power to attack demons.'

'Only if they throw fireballs first,' said Phoebe. 'If they throw fireballs you can telekinetically orb those back at the demons, but we need to be more proactive than that. Cole can throw his own ammo.'

Piper sighed. 'Fine. Cole can come with.'

'I am going too,' said Leo.

'Leo, it is not safe,' said Piper.

'I may be your husband, Piper, but I am also your white lighter,' said Leo. 'My job is to keep you three safe. I can also heal you if you get hurt.'

'Really? I can heal too you know,' winged Paige. Everyone else seemed to be trying to take her role.

Leo turned to Paige. 'Paige, your healing powers are still weaker than my own. I can fully heal the three of you, while you can only partially heal Piper or Phoebe. Besides, Paige, if I am not there and you get hurt, who will heal you?'

Paige gave in. 'I guess so.'

'Fine, you can come with us,' sighed Piper.

'Do we actually have a plan?' asked Leo.

'Nope,' said Phoebe. 'There is no time. If the Source does have Petey, we cannot waste time trying to think up a plan.'

'There is no time to make up vanquishing potions either,' said Piper.

Cole held Phoebe's hand, ready to shimmer out. Piper held onto Leo, waiting for him to orb out, and Paige was waiting to orb out by herself.

'Try to follow me,' Cole said to Leo and Paige as he shimmered out with Phoebe.

Leo nodded at Paige. They both orbed out of the attic, with Piper.

In a flurry of orbs, Piper, Paige, and Leo appeared in a dark cave-like tunnel that was the underworld. Cole and Phoebe were already waiting for them.

'I thought we were going straight to the Source's lair,' said Paige, looking around the tunnel.

'No. We need to find his lair first,' said Cole. 'I am not exactly in the inner circle with demons these days so it is going to take slightly longer to find it.'

'Well then, let's start moving,' ordered Piper.

Before the five of them had started walking, a hoard of demons appeared, surrounding them.

Piper rolled her eyes and said in her best sarcastic tone, 'Just what we needed.'

'Piper, stop –' Paige stopped talking in order to orb herself out of the way of a fireball.

Piper was thankful that the demon had stopped Paige from pointing out that Piper had just rolled her eyes.

Piper kept trying to blow the demons up, but each time, she kept either freezing the demons or freezing the fireballs.

'Thanks, Piper!' said Cole as he threw fireballs at the frozen demons.

One of the frozen fireballs suddenly unfroze and hit Piper's arm, frying her watch.

'That watch was a wedding present!' screamed Piper. She attempted to blow another demon up but once again only froze him. Piper screamed in frustration at her powers.

Piper continued to freeze the demons and their fireballs while Phoebe knocked them backwards with her martial arts moves. Cole blew demons up with his own energy balls. Paige continued to deflect any fireballs back at the demons. Leo kept orbing out of the way of fireballs.

Soon they had killed all the demons that had attacked them.

Trying to regain his breath, Cole said to Leo, 'You were not much help in that fight.'

'We have just gotten to the part where I become useful,' said Leo, trying to assert his manliness.

Leo held his hands over Piper's burnt arm and healed it. Then he approached Phoebe and healed her on her back where she had been grazed by a fireball. Next Leo healed a wound that Paige had obtained during the fight.

Cole laughed. 'That is only impressive if the wounds are fatal.'

'Leo, don't listen to him,' said Piper. '_He_ does not appreciate your worth like we do.'

Leo smiled at Piper. 'Thanks.'

They all followed Cole as he was the only one with the ability to sense for the Source. However onto every corner they turned, they found more demons to defend themselves against. This slowed them down more than they wanted in their search to find Petey and the Source.

* * *

Prue and Andy switched the living room light on. There was no one present in the room.

'Didn't they say Petey was in here?' Prue asked Andy. She was hoping that Andy was right about the sisters, but this did not back him up.

'Maybe we heard wrong,' said Andy. He looked worried at the sight of the empty room. 'I think they are all upstairs. We should go and ask them.'

Prue nodded. She followed Andy as he made his way up the staircase.

Andy knocked on each room before entering. Each room was empty.

'They are not here,' said Andy, trying to figure out what was going on.

Prue noticed that they had not checked the attic, so pointed it out to Andy. Andy nodded and made his way up the steps to the attic. Prue followed closely.

Andy stopped when he entered the attic. Prue walked in beside him and also stopped.

The sight of the attic was intriguing. In the middle on a plinth was some old book. There were candles dotted about the attic floor. A silver mortar full of some foul smelling substance lay on a small table. A knife which looked like it had blood on lay on the small table next to the mortar.

The most disturbing aspect was that the attic was empty. Therefore, except for Prue and Andy, the whole house was empty. This meant that they had no idea where Piper, Phoebe, Paige, or Leo were. Nor did they know where Petey was.

To Prue and Andy, it looked like Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo had run off with Petey. The bloody knife on the table only added to Prue and Andy's fears.

* * *

**A/N:** How stupid are Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, and Cole? Leaving Prue and Andy alone in the manor was not very smart or sensible. Oh… right… I control what they do in this fan fiction. Oops. Oh well, their forgetfulness about Prue and Andy's presence just helps the chaos. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The three witches, white lighter, and half demon lost track of time while they were down in the underworld. There was no daylight to separate day from night. Piper was the only one out of them who had worn a watch, but a demon had incinerated that. The only thing they could tell was that they had been down there for longer than twenty four hours because the truth spell had worn off.

The five of them were wandering along a dark, eerily silent tunnel. They had not been attacked by any demons for a while. This was not normal.

Cole was leading the way. Piper and Leo backed the group. Phoebe and Paige walked side by side between Cole and Piper and Leo. There was a fair gap between the two sisters and the other three. Therefore Phoebe and Paige were able to have a private discussion without the other three hearing in.

'Do you think the Source could be right?' asked Paige.

'What do you mean?' said Phoebe.

'About Petey being the eldest son of the eldest Charmed One,' said Paige.

'Petey is Andy and Prue's son,' said Phoebe. 'The Source must be mistaken.'

'Yeah, but you asked Andy and Prue whether they were magical and they said no,' said Paige. 'They seemed clueless to the existence of magic. How could they have a magical son and not be magical themselves?'

'For the sake of this, let's say Prue is the witch and Andy is the mortal. Maybe Prue does not know she is a witch,' said Phoebe.

Paige shook her head. 'That sounds ridiculous. How can she not know she is a witch?'

'Er, Paige, we did not know we were witches until three years ago,' Phoebe pointed out.

'So what are you trying to say? Prue had magical parents who decided to bind her powers and abandon her without letting her know who she was?' asked Paige. 'It is one thing to have your powers bound like we did. Grams was not going to keep it a secret from us forever. She just never got around to telling us.'

'So you are trying to say that there is no logical way that Prue is a witch because it would be too cruel a thing to abandon your child without ever letting them know the truth?' said Phoebe. She was obviously not convinced.

'I don't care that you don't believe me,' said Paige. 'I don't think that Petey is Andy and Prue's son. He cannot be. They are mortals. He is a witch.'

'Then who do you think is Petey's real mother?' asked Phoebe.

Paige did not answer. She looked behind them at Piper and Leo who were having a discussion of their own. Paige quickly averted her gaze from them, but not before Phoebe had noticed this.

'Petey is not Piper's child,' said Phoebe.

'You heard Cole say that the Source thinks Petey is,' said Paige.

'Since when do you believe what Cole says?' asked Phoebe.

Paige looked Phoebe in the eye and said, 'Since when do you not?'

Phoebe did not know how to answer this.

Cole suddenly stopped walking. He held his hand out behind him to gesture for the others to stop. Phoebe did not notice this and walked straight into Cole's outstretched hand. The touch triggered a premonition:

_A man sat in his office, filling out paperwork. He had a stethoscope around his neck – he was a doctor._

_Suddenly the office door burst open followed by a tornado. This tornado stopped and vanished to reveal a tall, long white-haired demon._

_The doctor was startled by the appearance of this demon. However his reactions were too slow. The demon had already thrown an energy ball at the doctor. The doctor went flying across the room._

When Phoebe came out of her premonition, she noticed that Cole, Piper, Paige, and Leo were all staring at her.

'Pheebs, are you okay?' asked Piper.

Phoebe realised that she was lying on the ground. Leo helped her to her feet. She had not realised that the premonition had been that powerful.

'Prem… on… it… ion,' said Phoebe. She was trying to find her breath as she spoke. The premonition had really taken a lot out of her. 'A… demon was… attacking… an old guy… he was a… doctor… I think… he is meant… to be our… innocent.'

Piper glared at Cole. 'Why did touching you trigger that premonition?'

'Piper! Cole was not the demon in my premonition!' groaned Phoebe. She had finally caught her breath again.

'Still, your premonitions are usually connected to whatever triggered them,' said Piper.

'The reason I stopped was because I could – and still can – sense the Source quite strongly, which means we are close to the Source,' said Cole. 'The sense must have been so strong that it triggered Phoebe's premonition.'

'The demon I saw was not the Source,' said Phoebe.

'What I meant by that was, the Source probably sent a demon out to attack an innocent because he knew we were getting close to him,' said Cole.

'So it's a distraction,' said Leo.

'We still cannot ignore the fact that an innocent is going to get killed if we don't intervene,' said Paige.

'This is what the Source wants!' said Cole. 'He does not want to have to face the Power of Three so he is going to try and split you up.'

'Well it's worked,' said Piper. 'We cannot leave Petey here, but we also cannot leave an innocent to die.'

'I will go back,' offered Phoebe. 'I can go back and identify the demon in the Book of Shadows. I may not be able to vanquish the demon without you, but I can at least try and get the doctor to safety while you save Petey.'

Piper and Paige nodded.

'Cole, are you coming with me?' asked Phoebe. 'I need someone to get me back to the manor.'

Cole shook his head. 'I am needed down here.'

'I hate to say this, but I agree with Cole,' said Piper. 'We need him to find the Source and help save Petey.'

'Leo, you should go with Phoebe,' suggested Paige.

'Paige, you have the ability to orb too,' said Leo. 'You can go and I can stay down here and heal Piper if she needs help.'

'No,' said Paige. 'It is better to have at least two of the Charmed Ones against the Source rather than only one Charmed One, a demon, and a white lighter.'

'Leo, go with Phoebe,' said Piper.

Leo sighed. 'Okay. Be careful.'

'We will,' said Piper.

Leo took Phoebe's hand and orbed out of the tunnel.

Cole, Piper, and Paige exchanged looks.

'Which way now?' Piper asked Cole.

Cole tapped on the wall to his right. It disappeared to reveal a doorway. They could not see what was within the room due to a foggy atmosphere within the hidden room.

Looking at Piper and Paige, Cole said:

'Ladies first?'

* * *

Leo and Phoebe orbed into the attic. However they were not alone. At their appearance, a startled armed police officer had jumped up from his chair and pointed his gun at them.

'Freeze!' he shouted.

'Wrong sister,' said Phoebe. The joke was lost on the armed police officer as unlike Leo, he did not know that Phoebe had a sister with the ability to freeze people.

Phoebe grabbed the Book of Shadows from the plinth.

'I said freeze! Don't move!' shouted the armed police officer.

The armed police officer was still shocked by Phoebe and Leo's sudden appearance out of thin air. The gun was shaking in his hands. However he kept hovering between pointing it at Phoebe and Leo.

'Leo,' Phoebe whispered.

Leo took the hint. He put his hand on Phoebe's shoulder and orbed them out of the attic into the street outside.

Phoebe almost dropped the Book when she saw the manor from the outside. It was surrounded by police cars and police officers. Standing by one of the police cars was Andy. He was talking into a walkie-talkie. Suddenly Andy started directing more police officers to enter the manor.

Before Phoebe could watch anymore of this, Leo had orbed her to an empty room in a hospital.

Phoebe sat down on the hospital bed and turned to Leo.

'Leo! Did you not sense the attic was not empty?' shouted Phoebe.

'Phoebe, you know that the underworld weakens my powers,' said Leo. 'To be honest, I did not expect there to be anyone there because all the people that live there were down in the underworld with me.'

'Do you have any idea why there might be police officers swarming the manor?' asked Phoebe. 'I mean, I could understand them being there if we had exposed mag – Oh my gosh, they saw you orb! We exposed magic just now!'

Leo had not listened to Phoebe's latter sentences, as he had suddenly realised why the police officers were there in the first place. He put his hand to his face in irritation. 'We left Prue and Andy in the manor, didn't we? We have been gone for at least a day. They probably noticed we were gone and that Petey was nowhere to be found.'

'You mean Prue and Andy think that we kidnapped Petey?' said Phoebe in disbelief.

Leo ran his fingers through his hair in distress. 'Yes.'

Phoebe opened up the Book and started looking for a picture of the demon she had seen. 'We better get this doctor saved as fast as possible then so as we can sort all this mess out.'

Leo nodded.

'Oh no,' said Phoebe as she found the page she needed.

'What?' said Leo.

'The demon. It is called Shax,' said Phoebe.

'You mean the Source's assassin?' said Leo, worry in his eyes.

'That is what the Book says,' said Phoebe. 'Luckily there is a vanquishing spell.'

'Phoebe, Shax is dangerous,' warned Leo.

'Well then, we had better get the innocent to safety then,' said Phoebe, closing the Book of Shadows.

'What about your safety from Shax?' said Leo. 'That vanquishing spell probably needs the Power of Three to work.'

'Leo, once the doctor is in a safe place, we can wait until after we have found Petey to worry about defeating Shax,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe opened the door and walked out into the hospital corridor.

Phoebe went up to the reception desk and described the doctor she was looking for to the receptionist. The receptionist told Phoebe that he was called Doctor Griffiths and pointed her in the right direction to his office.

Leo followed Phoebe into Doctor Griffiths' office. The doctor looked up from his paper work at his desk.

'Could you come back later? I am busy,' said Doctor Griffiths with a disgruntled expression.

'Sorry, this is for your own safety,' said Phoebe. 'Leo, you know what to do. I will wait here for you.'

Leo nodded. He had the Book of Shadows in one hand. He put his other hand on Doctor Griffiths' shoulder and orbed away with him and the Book.

Phoebe turned to shut the office door so as she could wait for Leo in private. However she heard a commotion coming from down the corridor. Phoebe walked into the corridor to see what the commotion was.

More than twenty armed police officers came around the corner of the corridor. When they saw Phoebe they pointed their guns at her.

Phoebe held her hands up in the air.

Phoebe was escorted to the police station in handcuffs. She was put into the station's interrogation room.

Phoebe had been left by herself in the room for ten whole minutes before anyone else entered. The door opened and Darryl came in. He did not look pleased.

'Darryl!' said Phoebe. She was so glad to see him. She stood up to hug him, but then she remembered she had handcuffs on.

'Sit down, Phoebe,' said Darryl. 'Do you know how much trouble you are in?'

'We did not kidnap Petey!' said Phoebe. 'A demon kidnapped him. Piper and Paige are rescuing him as we speak. Since when do people go after missing persons before the forty eight hours are up, anyway?'

'Phoebe, it has been a whole ten days since Petey and your sisters went missing from the manor!' said Darryl firmly.

Phoebe's jaw dropped in surprise.

* * *

Piper and Paige stared at the doorway that Cole had found.

'Is the Source's lair in there?' asked Paige.

Cole nodded. Paige gulped.

Piper went to step into the room. Cole stopped her.

'You told us to go first,' argued Piper.

'I was kidding,' said Cole. 'You cannot go in there without a form of attack.'

Piper raised an eyebrow. 'Cole, I think if it comes to it I can get my explosion power to work again. If not, I can still freeze the Source.'

'The Source won't be susceptible to either of your powers,' said Cole.

'Like the Source would be susceptible to your powers, Cole,' countered Piper. 'The Source lives amongst demons. Do you think he would be silly enough to be vulnerable to demon attacks?'

Paige stepped through the doorway, disappearing from Piper and Cole's view. Piper and Cole exchanged looks.

'I did not say for Paige to go first!' said Piper.

'She could get killed,' agreed Cole.

Piper and Cole ran through the doorway.

Piper bumped into Paige as the fog suddenly cleared. Similarly Cole ran right into Piper.

Piper, Paige, and Cole got back to their feet and looked around the room. The Source was sitting on a throne at the other end of the room. His face was hidden underneath a hood. Petey was suspended unconscious and out of their reach in the air.

'Petey!' shouted Paige. No response.

Piper and Cole approached the Source. Paige followed closely behind them.

'Welcome,' said the Source in a condescending voice.

'Give Petey back and we won't kill you,' said Piper.

'How about I don't give the eldest Charmed One's eldest child back _and_ I kill you,' suggested the Source mockingly.

'Not going to happen,' said Paige.

'You have made two mistakes there,' said Piper. 'One: Petey is not my son. Two: You could never succeed in killing us.'

'Piper, you don't do banter with the Source,' mumbled Cole as a warning.

'Belthazar, the witch is allowed to be a little witty before her death,' said the Source. Then the hooded figure turned towards Piper and said, 'I know that child is not yours, witch. I said he is the eldest child of the eldest Charmed One.'

'You are looking at her and Petey is not her kid,' said Piper.

'You are not the eldest Charmed One,' said the Source.

'Do your sources tell you differently?' said Paige. 'Your sources must be wrong.'

'Really, Paige?' sighed Cole. 'Are you really going to start using puns at a time like this?'

'What? It is his fault for having 'The Source' as his name,' said Paige shrugging.

'My Seer recently told me that a fourth Charmed One existed,' said the Source.

'A fourth Charmed One?' said Piper unconvinced. 'That is not possible. I don't know if you can count, but the Power of Three equates to only three Charmed Ones.'

Paige nodded in agreement.

'I am not here to convince you,' said the Source. 'I have sent my personal assassin to kill the eldest Charmed One before they find out who they are.'

Piper, Paige, and Cole exchanged looks.

'You sent a demon after some doctor…' said Cole. 'I am pretty sure Phoebe said the doctor was a male and that he was old…'

The Source cackled. 'I sent my assassin after that doctor as well in order to make sure that your sister got that premonition instead of seeing my assassin attack the eldest Charmed One.'

'Then who is the eldest Charmed One?' asked Cole.

'Another Halliwell sister,' said the Source.

Piper and Paige were stunned. They mouthed 'Prue' to each other to check that they were thinking the same thing.

'Hang on. Are you trying to say that not only is Prue a Charmed One, but that she is our sister?' said Piper in disbelief. 'Why are you telling us all this? The truth spell finished hours ago.'

'It finished over a week ago, actually, and I am telling you this to slow you down,' said the Source. 'I know you cannot defeat me and the longer I make you stay down here, the longer Shax will have to kill Prudence Halliwell.'

* * *

**A/N:** And Shax has finally entered the story. This will be nothing like _All Hell Breaks Loose_/_Charmed Again_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Phoebe stared at Darryl. She was speechless.

'We have been in the underworld for… _ten_ days?' said Phoebe.

Darryl nodded.

'Is that why there were swarms of officers at the house?' asked Phoebe.

'Andy and his wife found the place empty. They also found a knife with blood on it,' said Darryl.

'That knife had blood from Piper, Paige, and me on it,' said Phoebe. 'We would never harm anyone else.'

'I know that, but you have been connected to so many unsolved cases over the last few years that the police don't trust you,' said Darryl. 'Andy was brought in to investigate you three. He did not know it was you three he would be investigating until the day that you babysat for him.'

'He said that he was late from work because he was helping you fill out paperwork,' said Phoebe.

'He was late from work because after he had been told that it was you three he was supposed to investigate he did not know whether he wanted to continue his job,' said Darryl. 'I spoke to him about it. Andy did not believe you three would be capable of such a thing. He knew you were good people. I told him to continue with the investigation, that he could prove you innocent.'

Phoebe sighed. 'I guess that went all wrong when Andy thought we had kidnapped his son?'

Darryl nodded.

'Darryl, you have got to help us get out of this,' said Phoebe. 'Piper, Paige, and Cole are in the underworld trying to rescue Petey. Leo has just taken an innocent to safety, but will be returning to the hospital looking for me. Oh, and we exposed magic to the police officer in the attic,' said Phoebe.

'I cannot help you, Phoebe,' said Darryl. 'You are on your own with this one. This is all beyond my authority.'

Phoebe thought of something for a second. 'Darryl, how come the police did not take away the Book of Shadows?'

'They tried to, but the Book would not detach from the stand that it was on,' explained Darryl. 'They could not even get the Book to open.'

Phoebe smiled. They could always count on the Book to protect itself from evil or – in this case – annoying mortals. Phoebe's smile soon vanished when she remembered her situation.

'Are you not the police officer conducting my interview?' asked Phoebe.

'They won't let me,' said Darryl. 'For one thing, I am a family friend. For another, I am not the police officer conducting the investigation.'

'Andy is a family friend and they think we kidnapped his child,' said Phoebe. 'Surely he is not going to be the one conducting the investigation anymore.'

'You are right, but Andy and Prue are going to be coming in here as soon as I leave the room,' said Darryl. 'They want to know why you did it.'

'We did not do anything,' stressed Phoebe. 'Also, that cannot be professional. The victim's family talking to the suspect before the investigating officer.'

'It isn't, but the investigating officer has gone on the hunt for Leo and your sisters with a group of police officers,' said Darryl. 'Now that they know about the existence of magic – because of what you and Leo exposed – they think your sisters and Leo may be dangerous so they want to get them in custody as fast as possible.'

'Darryl, I don't know how long my sisters will be in the underworld, but Leo will be back before them,' said Phoebe. 'Find him, and warn him before the police find him. Tell him to orb back to the underworld and warn Piper, Paige, and Cole.'

Darryl nodded and left the room.

A minute or two later, Prue and Andy entered and sat on the seats opposite Phoebe. An officer walked in as well and stood in the corner of the room with a pistol pointed at Phoebe.

'Why is that pointing at me?' Phoebe asked.

'We do not know what you are capable of,' said Andy.

'Andy, you have known me since I was a baby!' said Phoebe.

'Have you always had magical powers?' asked Andy.

'Yes, well kind of. We only got our powers back a few years ago,' said Phoebe.

'That is when the unexplained deaths began…' muttered Andy.

'Andy, my sisters and I are not evil. We are good! We use our magic for good! We have been involved in unexplained cases because we were trying to stop demons that were murdering innocent people!'

'How can we believe this?' asked Prue.

'Well, if you believe I have magical powers, then you should believe that!' shouted Phoebe.

'Phoebe, Prue and I both have unclear memories of what happened on the night that we came to pick up Petey. With the news that you are magical, I have to ask, did you perform a memory wipe spell to try and make us forget you kidnapped our son?'

Phoebe sighed. The truth spell consequences were coming back to bite her.

'We did not kidnap Petey,' said Phoebe.

Prue laughed. 'Then why did you all leave the manor? And where was our son then? Where is our son?'

Phoebe looked over at the police officer in the corner. She could not concentrate with a pistol pointing at her.

'I am not saying anything more unless he leaves,' said Phoebe.

Prue and Andy turned to look at the police officer.

'Could you leave for a few minutes?' asked Andy.

'Sorry, Trudeau, but I am under orders not to,' said the police officer.

Prue and Andy both glared at the officer. Suddenly his pistol went flying out of the room. The police officer left the room to pick it up. Prue and Andy looked at the door and it suddenly closed and locked itself. The police officer could not get back in.

Prue and Andy turned to look at Phoebe.

'Did you do that?' said Prue to Phoebe. 'You used your mind to throw his pistol out there and lock the door so he cannot get back in!'

'It wasn't me,' said Phoebe. 'That looked like telekinesis. Wish I had that power but I don't. It must have been one of you two.'

'What?' said Andy. 'We are not the ones who were caught using magic!'

'One of you two must be a witch because your son is a witch. He has powers. And by the looks of it, one of you two has telekinesis. You may not know it, but one of you _is_ a witch,' said Phoebe. 'A demon kidnapped Petey because they thought he was Piper's child. Piper and Paige are currently in the demon underworld trying to save him.'

'You expect us to believe all that?' shouted Andy.

'Yes,' said Phoebe bluntly. 'I am telling you the truth and if you can believe that there is magic, you can believe that there are demons.'

'So you are accusing my family of being witches?' shouted Prue.

'No,' said Phoebe. 'Petey is definitely one. We saw his power. Magic is inherited. Either you or Andy is the witch. Not both.'

'I don't know if I can stand to hear this nonsense,' said Andy. He unlocked the door and stormed out of the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him.

Prue and Phoebe were left alone in the interrogation room.

* * *

Leo was about to orb back into Dr. Griffiths' office, but he could sense that the office was full of people. Instead he orbed into a cubicle of the boys' toilets. Leo made his way out into the hospital corridor.

Leo had taken Dr. Griffiths somewhere that Shax would not be able to find him. Leo had also orbed up to the Elders so as they could keep hold of the Book of Shadows until the exposure mess had been sorted. The Elders had told Leo that the Charmed Ones would have to deal with the mess all by themselves.

Leo started to walk along the corridor, towards Dr. Griffiths' office. He ducked into a room when he saw armed police officers heading his way. He had a feeling that they would be on the look out for him.

Leo noticed that the room he had hidden in was not empty. An elderly gentleman lay in a bed.

'Are you my doctor?' asked the elderly gentleman.

'Sorry,' said Leo.

'Can you get my doctor please?' asked the elderly gentleman. 'My leg is in so much pain right now.'

Leo smiled. 'I can help you.'

'You can?' said the elderly gentleman.

'I used to be a medic,' said Leo.

The elderly gentleman smiled. Leo allowed his hand to hover over the elderly gentleman's leg. A warm glow was emitted from his hand. Leo finished healing the elderly gentleman.

'How did you do that?' asked the elderly gentleman. 'My leg… It does not hurt anymore.'

Leo smiled. 'Don't worry about how I did it. I cannot help but think that that is the last bit of good I am going to be able to do for a while.'

The door opened. Leo would have orbed out, but he did not want to freak the gentleman out by disappearing. The elderly gentleman may have not noticed the glow coming from Leo's hand when he had healed him, but he may notice the blue orbs of a disappearing man.

Leo ducked behind the bed. He heard someone enter and close the door.

'Leo?'

It was Darryl's voice. Leo stood back up.

'Darryl!' said Leo. 'How did you know I was in here?'

'This is a dark room, the glow of you healing that man was visible through the glass in the door,' explained Darryl. 'The other officers thought it was a candle or light from a television. I realised it was you.'

'Fair point,' said Leo. 'We need your help, Darryl. Magic has been exposed.'

'Magic?' said the puzzled elderly gentleman.

Leo and Darryl turned to the elderly gentleman.

'Should we take this somewhere more private?' asked Leo.

'We have to talk here,' said Darryl. 'If you walk out of this room, it is most likely that you will get caught.'

'Caught? Who is after the young man? He seems so good natured,' said the elderly gentleman.

Leo and Darryl ignored the elderly gentleman.

'Where's Phoebe?' asked Leo.

'Leo, you can sense where she is,' said Darryl.

Leo closed his eyes and then opened them. 'She is at the police station… Was she arrested?'

Darryl nodded. 'She gave me clear instructions. I have to tell you to orb back to the underworld and warn Piper, Paige, and Cole.'

'Phoebe needs me,' said Leo.

'No, she does not,' said Darryl. 'She knows that it is more important that you get Petey back. Find Piper, Paige, and Cole. Help them rescue Petey. Then come back and sort out your mess.'

'Will you help to sort the mess out when I come back with them?' asked Leo.

'Leo, I am helping all of you as much as I can by not turning you in,' said Darryl. 'I cannot help you any more than that. You will have to deal with the exposure mess by yourself.'

Leo sighed. Leo jumped out of the hospital window, so as he could orb without being seen by the elderly gentleman.

'He seemed like a nice chap,' the elderly gentleman said to Darryl.

'He is,' said Darryl. 'So are his wife and her family. Too bad the rest of the world cannot see it that way.'

* * *

Leo had orbed to the exact spot where he had left Piper, Paige, and Cole. He noticed that there was a doorway where there had not been a doorway before in the wall. He could not see through it due to a foggy atmosphere.

Slowly Leo went through the door and entered the room. Immediately, Leo was tackled by five demons. They held him against the wall. Leo tried to orb away, but found he could not.

'We won't let you get away that easily, white lighter,' laughed one of the demons.

'Then why don't you just throw a fireball at me and get it over with?' yelled Leo.

'Then you would not be able to join your friends,' said one of the demons.

They turned Leo around so as he could see the opposite wall. Piper and Paige were unconscious, badly hurt, and chained up against the wall.

The demons dragged Leo over to the wall and chained him up next to Piper. Now chained to the wall, Leo could see an injured Belthazar, lying on the ground, unconscious, across the room from them. Up in the air was an unconscious Petey. An empty throne sat at the end of the room.

On ensuring that Leo was unable to escape, the demons shimmered out, leaving Leo alone in the room with his wife, his sister-in-law, his brother-in-law, and Petey.

'Piper,' whispered Leo. 'Piper.'

Piper groaned and opened her eyes slowly. Her forehead was cut and her lower lip was split.

'Leo?' said Piper as her eyes readjusted to the dimness of the room.

'Yes,' said Leo. 'What happened?'

'Leo!' said Piper. She tried to throw her arms out to hug him, but was prevented by the chains. Her arms were thrown back against the wall.

'What happened, honey?' Leo asked Piper. 'Why is Cole over there, injured, and in his demonic form?' Leo motioned towards the heap that was Belthazar.

Piper rolled her eyes.

'Piper…' said Paige.

Leo peered around Piper to see that Paige was now conscious. Paige had a burn visible on her right arm.

'Oh hush, Paige,' said Piper, before Paige could point out that Piper had just rolled her eyes. Then Piper turned back to Leo and said, 'After the Source spoke to us, we tried to attack him. However, the Source was ready. Powers of good people do not work in here.'

'When we realised that, Cole decided to mount the attack,' continued Paige. 'The Source flamed out and demons shimmered in all around us and that is all I remember.'

'Paige got knocked out first,' explained Piper. 'She got grazed across the arm by an energy ball which knocked her against the wall, knocking her unconscious. Cole turned into Belthazar as he accessed the strongest of his powers to vanquish the demons. While Cole kept the demons away from me and Paige, I attempted to try and reach Petey. I suddenly noticed that Cole was lying on the ground, hurt, and the demons were staring at me menacingly. That's all I remember.'

Paige sighed. 'I guess the demons chained us to the wall while we were unconscious.'

'I assume so,' said Piper.

'I wonder why they left Cole on the ground over there, rather than finishing him off or chaining him up,' said Paige.

'They probably do not expect him to last much longer with the wound he has,' suggested Leo. 'Not that I wanted him to, but is there a reason the Source did not kill you two? He obviously had the chance to with the two of you unconscious.'

'Apparently, Prue is our eldest sister, the eldest Charmed One,' said Piper. 'With us here and alive, there is no way we can go and save her. Killing us is too big a risk because we have come back from the dead many times before.'

'Sending that demon after that doctor was a decoy, so as Phoebe would not see the demon going after Prue,' said Paige.

'The eldest Charmed One's child is Petey…' muttered Leo as he pieced everything together.

Piper and Paige nodded.

'How, though?' asked Leo. 'It is the Power of Three… not four…'

'Talking about the Power of Three,' said Piper. 'Where is Phoebe?'

'Oh, yeah, you see…' said Leo hesitating. 'It has been ten days since we started searching for Petey.'

Piper sighed. 'The Source mentioned that.'

'Were there police at the manor looking for Petey?' asked Paige.

Leo nodded. 'Not just that, though.'

'What happened at the manor?' asked Cole through struggled breaths.

Leo, Piper, and Paige looked over in the direction of Cole. He had transformed back into his human form. He had a wound in his abdomen and was struggling to breath. However, he had managed to sit up enough to look over at the three of them. He was obviously in a lot of pain, and could hardly move, let alone speak.

'Well, er…' said Leo.

'Why is Phoebe not here?' asked Cole through gritted teeth. It was difficult to tell whether the gritted teeth were due to his concern for Phoebe or due to the pain he felt from his wound.

'She, er, well, we er…' said Leo. 'I orbed into the attic with her. There was a police officer in there. Cliff notes version: magic was exposed.'

'What?' shouted Piper. 'First, we lose Petey, then we go on the most wanted list for kidnapping a child, then we expose magic! What next?'

'Er, next is Phoebe getting arrested,' said Leo quietly.

'What?' shouted Piper, Paige, and Cole all at once.

Leo decided it was safer to change the subject.

'Say Prue is the eldest Charmed One,' said Leo. 'She did not know she was a witch. Therefore, she has not chosen whether she wants to be good or evil yet. Why is the Source trying to kill her rather than manipulating her with the Window of Opportunity?'

'Window of Opportunity?' said Piper.

'Window of Opportunity. A forty eight hour mythological window. A new witch has forty eight hours to choose which side they will be on: good or evil,' explained Cole, pressing his hand to his wound, as he gasped in pain.

'That sounds stupid,' said Paige.

'Who makes up these rules?' said Piper rhetorically.

Leo looked upwards. Cole glanced to the room around him. Neither answered Piper's question.

'The Source may have two Charmed Ones trapped down here, but now we know that there are two Charmed Ones up there too,' said Paige. 'They won't give up easily.'

'Paige, Phoebe does not even know about Prue,' said Piper. 'Prue does not even know about herself.'

'Piper, stop with the pessimism,' said Paige. 'They can do it.'

'If anyone believes in Phoebe, I do,' said Cole. He let out a groan to release a little stress from the pain he was experiencing.

Cole tried to conjure a fireball. He wanted to throw it at the chains that imprisoned the sisters and Leo, in an attempt to free them. However, due to his lack of energy, the fireball fizzled out before it had fully formed in his hand.

Cole slumped back to the ground. Although he was still conscious, his breathing had become more haggard.

'Do we have a plan at all about getting out of here and saving Petey?' asked Leo.

'Not yet,' Piper whispered.

'We need the Power of Three, don't we?' said Paige.

Piper nodded. 'Two possible members of that are up there right now.'

'Cole is dying, we are trapped, and Petey is trapped with us,' summed up Leo. 'Our rescue mission has not gone very well at all.'

* * *

Phoebe stared at Prue.

'What? Why are you staring at me?' said Prue. 'I told you I am not a witch.'

'I feel like I recognise you from somewhere,' said Phoebe.

'Well, you met me ten days ago. That is probably where you recognise me from,' said Prue sarcastically.

'No,' said Phoebe seriously.

It had been the previous year. Phoebe had gone back into her past life's body and found out that Piper's past life was trying to kill her. Paige's past life had not been there, but… the other cousin… Prue… Prue's past life had been there… This could not be a coincidence that Prue had returned into their lives… but why?

'Stop staring at me,' said Prue irritably.

Prue stood up to leave. Phoebe reached her cuffed hands over the table to grab Prue's hand, to try to make her sit back down.

'Prue, listen to me,' said Phoebe just before being thrown into a premonition:

_Shax was in the underworld. A hooded figure stood in front of him and gave him a photograph to look at. The photograph was of Prue. In a swirl of wind, Shax disappeared leaving a tattered, torn photograph of Prue to float to the floor._

Prue was staring at Phoebe when she came out of her premonition.

'Phoebe, you are grasping my hand really tightly,' said Prue irritably.

Phoebe let go of Prue's hand.

'Prue, we have to get you out of here now,' said Phoebe.

'Why?' asked Prue slowly.

'The Source of All Evil has sent an assassin after you,' said Phoebe.

'The Source of All what?' said Prue.

'Evil,' said Phoebe. 'I need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere where you will be protected.'

'How do I know you are not evil?' said Prue.

'Firstly Prue, if I was evil, I would have broken out of here by now,' said Phoebe. 'My sisters and I were turned evil once so I know that if I had those warlock powers again I could blink – teleport – myself out of here so easily.'

'You are not doing a good job of convincing me,' said Prue.

'Listen Prue, evil has more power than good, but evil is corrupted, which is why good can overcome evil,' said Phoebe. 'My sisters and I are good witches. I had a vision that a demon assassin is after you. I don't want him to kill you.'

'You said you have been evil before,' said Prue.

'Yes, but that was only once –' Phoebe suddenly remembered the Woogy possession but decided it best not to mention that too – 'and the good in us managed to overcome that. My sisters and I are powerful witches which is why evil comes after us a lot.'

'Tell me about the time you were evil,' said Prue, finally sitting back down across the table from Phoebe.

'We don't have time for this, Prue,' said Phoebe.

'Tell me about the time you were evil,' repeated Prue. 'Use your story to convince me that you are not actually evil.'

Phoebe sighed. She did not have time for this, but if it helped to convince Prue…

'Well, it happened at the beginning of this year…' began Phoebe.

* * *

**A/N:** The fact that it has been more than forty eight hours since Prue actually became a witch will be mentioned in a future chapter. The next chapter will basically be about what happened in this version of _Bride and Gloom_. It is a chance for a break from the main plotline and to find out how some of the years varied from the canon with Paige there instead of Prue.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** This chapter is written from the narrative perspective rather than Phoebe's perspective. It just makes it easier for me to write it, plus it means that I can have scenes which Phoebe was not in, which helps the structure. This is almost a Paige replacing Prue's part in _Bride and Gloom_ BUT there is a twist, otherwise I would not be bothering to write this chapter. :)

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**February 2001**

The three sisters – Piper, Phoebe, and Paige – were sitting at the bar in P3. It was a busy evening and they were having a good sisterly talk.

Cole walked up behind Phoebe and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her neck. Phoebe giggled. Piper and Paige were disgusted.

'This a public place, you know,' said Piper.

Piper jumped when she felt two arms wrap around herself.

'Get off me or I will blow you up!' shouted Piper.

Piper looked behind her to see Leo was the one embracing her. Piper relaxed.

'Hi there,' said Piper with a smile.

'Er, guys,' said Paige. 'This is still a public place.'

'Yeah, Piper,' said Cole. 'Why is it okay for you and Leo to show your affection in public, but not for me and Phoebe to do the same?'

Paige glared at Cole. She did not want him agreeing with her.

'Cole, you are a demon,' said Paige. 'It would never be right for you and Phoebe to be together.'

'Paige!' shouted Phoebe.

'What? Would you rather I say how I feel about him behind his back?' said Paige.

Piper was hardly paying attention to Phoebe and Paige's argument. Piper was too busy kissing Leo.

Piper stood up. Hand held in Leo's, Piper began to walk away with him.

Phoebe and Paige stopped arguing and exchanged looks.

'Do we want to know where they are going?' asked Paige.

Phoebe shook her head. 'Probably not. It is great how close they have gotten since their engagement, even if Piper is… you know… freaking out about planning the wedding.'

Cole pulled Phoebe to her feet, and said, 'Do you want to go and dance?'

Phoebe smiled, and then turned back to Paige. 'Paige, do you mind me ditching you?'

Paige shook her head. At least if Phoebe left that would mean that Cole would leave too.

Phoebe and Cole disappeared onto the dance floor.

Paige let her head slump onto the bar. She hated being the only single sister. Piper and Leo were engaged, and – however much Piper and Paige disliked it – Phoebe and Cole were in a serious relationship.

Paige felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up. A good looking guy who only looked a year or two older than her was standing by her, smiling at her.

'Want me to buy you a drink?' the guy said.

Paige shrugged.

The guy laughed. He sat down on the stool next to Paige.

'I am Michael, by the way,' he said.

'Paige,' said Paige quietly.

'Nice name,' said Michael. 'What do you want to drink?'

'I don't want anything to drink,' said Paige.

Michael frowned. 'How about a dance?'

Paige shook her head.

'Then why are you at a club?' asked Michael.

'My sister owns the place. I came with my sisters,' said Paige.

'Then where are your sisters?' asked Michael, looking around.

Paige shrugged. 'One went off with her fiancé. The other disappeared with her boyfriend.'

'Well then, it looks like you could do with some company,' said Michael.

'Not with someone I have only just met,' said Paige.

'Number one: I meant company as in a conversation, nothing more, and nothing less. Number two: Who else – other than your sisters and their partners – have you got to talk to in this club that you have already met?'

Paige sighed. 'Fine. What do you want to talk about?'

'The fact that there is a demon in the alley about to kill an innocent,' said Michael seriously.

Paige sat bolt upright and stared at Michael.

'What?' said Paige. 'Why did you wait until just now to tell me? And who are you? How do you know about the existence of demons? How do you know what I am?'

Paige did not wait for an answer. She was already pushing her way through the crowds towards the back door. Michael was following her.

Cliff notes version: With the help of Michael, Paige vanquished the demon and saved the innocent. Michael convinced her that she did not need her sisters. Michael asked Paige whether he could see her the next day. Paige agreed to the prospect of a first date. Later that night, Paige realised she was missing her lipstick, but thought no more about it.

The next evening, Paige met Michael at their agreed location. It was a nice little outdoor café. They sat down at a table and ordered a meal. They chatted and discussed openly about their lives. Michael told Paige how he was a witch. They had a lot of common interests.

At the end of the date, Michael leant in for a kiss. Paige returned the kiss.

Suddenly, Paige found that she could not move. Also, she was no longer sitting in the café. She was in a dark courtyard.

Michael smirked evilly. He stood up and dragged Paige's paralysed body behind him. Paige was unable to regain any control.

'What is going on?' said Paige. 'Why can't I move?'

'A paralysing potion,' laughed Michael. 'I cannot believe you fell for that. I am not a witch. I am a warlock, and I am going to get my hands on the Book of Shadows.'

Paige saw a woman appear by an altar.

'You will never get the Book of Shadows! My sister will vanquish you and then they will save me!' shouted Paige.

Paige tried to orb, but she could not. This paralysing potion had also affected her powers.

Michael cackled.

'Dark priestess, will you do me the honours of making this Charmed One my bride?' said Michael.

'What? What? What?' shouted Paige in a panic. 'I don't want to get married! I think I like being single now!'

Michael laughed. 'Too late, witch.'

Michael clicked his fingers. Paige still found herself unable to move, but she was suddenly standing upright next to Michael.

'Let the marriage begin,' sneered Michael.

The dark priestess began to say the words. Paige gulped. She needed Piper and Phoebe.

* * *

A few hours later, the evil Piper and Phoebe blinked into the courtyard. The dark priestess had just stolen the evil Book of Shadows, and Piper and Phoebe wanted it back. Also, they expected Paige to be here, and wanted her back so as they could form an evil Power of Three.

There was no sign of Paige or the Book of Shadows. The dark priestess lay injured on the courtyard floor. An arrow had badly wounded her.

Piper and Phoebe ignored the dark priestess' dying groans of pain.

'Where do you think Paige is?' Phoebe asked Piper.

'I don't know,' said Piper. 'She cannot have been gone long or blinking would not have sent us here considering we sensed for her.'

'Hmm…' said Phoebe. 'Looks like our sister got her revenge on the dark priestess already.'

Piper nodded. 'We should go back to the manor and try and locate Paige and the Book.'

Piper and Phoebe blinked out of the courtyard.

* * *

Paige opened her eyes. The last thing she had remembered was the dark priestess finishing the ceremony and then everything had gone dark. Paige had been knocked out.

Paige was no longer in the courtyard. In fact, it looked like she was in the underworld. Paige stood up. She was in a room all by herself.

Michael and the dark priestess were nowhere to be seen. Had her sisters saved her? If they had, then why would Paige be in the underworld?

Paige heard the sounds of people approaching. Worried that it might be a demon, Paige panicked trying to think of a way to protect herself.

Suddenly a crossbow appeared in her hand in a puff of smoke. Paige eyed the crossbow in fear. Her fear quickly changed to excitement. Yes, she had somehow just summoned a crossbow like a dark lighter does, however it was a lot cooler than just telekinetically throwing things at people for protection.

Paige held the crossbow up, waiting for the people to come around the corner. Three demons came around the corner. Before they could react, Paige shot each of them with arrows from the crossbow. Obviously the poison was only fatal to a white lighter, but at least the arrows would slow the demons down.

Ten dark lighters suddenly orbed around Paige.

'Come with us, Paige,' said one of the dark lighters.

'Why?' said Paige. 'And how do you know my name?'

'It's your choice. Either you come with us and live, or stay here and let those demons kill you,' said the dark lighter. 'My name is Thorpe.'

'I can protect myself with this, Thorpe,' said Paige, gesturing at the crossbow.

'That is only fatal to a white lighter,' said the dark lighter. 'We used our arrows to injure the dark priestess, but only because we wanted to get in and out of there fast.'

Paige noticed that a few of the other dark lighters were now attacking the three demons. A dark lighter pressed his hand against a demons head and the demon began to scream as his head burnt into ash.

'That is so cool,' said Paige.

Thorpe laughed. 'If you come with us, we can teach you how to do that.'

Paige nodded. The dark lighters, Thorpe, and Paige orbed out.

Thorpe, Paige, and the dark lighters had orbed into a room full of comfy seats and dark lighters. The dark lighters grinned when they saw Paige.

'You got the Charmed One,' said one of the dark lighters.

'He did not _get me_, I decided to come with out of intrigue,' said Paige spitefully.

'So what do you think of our lair?' asked Thorpe.

Paige shrugged. 'It is okay. It could do with a better interior design and some central heating.'

Thorpe laughed. Paige looked at Thorpe.

'What happened?' said Paige. 'Why did I wake up in the underworld? You said that you attacked the dark priestess?'

Thorpe nodded. 'We sensed that you had become evil. Your witch side has become warlock, but you also have your white lighter half. You are now part dark lighter. The dark priestess had put you and that warlock husband into a coma, so as she could take control of the Book of Shadows. We did not want a dark lighter to be used in such a way, so we decided to ambush the courtyard, attack the dark priestess, and take you with us.'

'You have the Book?' asked Paige.

'Yes,' said Thorpe smiling. 'As part warlock, you are the only one here that can use spells, but we thought you would like to keep control of it.'

Paige smiled. 'Where's the Book?'

'In a secure room,' said Thorpe. 'We don't want any demons to get their hands on it.'

Paige nodded. 'Can you teach me that touch and burn thing now?'

Thorpe laughed. 'So eager to learn! And we call it the touch of death.'

Paige nodded. 'Teach me it.'

'We need to get ourselves a volunteer, first,' said Thorpe.

'I am sure you can find plenty of demons down here,' said Paige.

'Yes, but I want to use this as a chance for you to show us how committed to being a dark lighter you are,' said Thorpe.

'What are you trying to say?' asked Paige.

'My dark lighters are already on their way to find the victims that we want you to practice the touch of death on,' said Thorpe.

Paige asked, 'Who?'

* * *

'Sitting around at the manor is not doing anything!' said Phoebe. She was becoming aggravated.

'We would have left the manor by now if those demons had not kept attacking,' said Piper.

Piper and Phoebe were standing in the attic. The attic walls were full of scorch marks where demons had been blown up.

'Why do you think they keep attacking us?' Phoebe asked. 'We are evil now. We are on their side.'

'I think they are scared of us,' said Piper. 'Think about it. The evil Charmed Ones could defeat the Source. We could defeat the Source and become the new rulers of the underworld.'

Phoebe smiled. 'Power over the underworld. That sounds good, but first we need to find Paige and the Book.'

Piper nodded.

Suddenly a demon shimmered into the attic. Piper held her hands up at it and it burst into flames.

'I like the added touch of flames to your explosion power,' laughed Phoebe.

'Me too,' said Piper. 'It is fun to watch them scream in agony as they burn before they blow up.'

'So should we go to the underworld and try and sense for Paige there?' asked Phoebe.

'It means we can kill more of the Source's demons on the way,' said Piper.

Phoebe nodded with a wicked grin.

Suddenly four dark lighters orbed into the attic.

Piper rolled her eyes. 'You think you can defeat us?'

'Do you not see all those scorch marks in here?' laughed Phoebe. 'Many of those are the remains of demons. One is the remains of Piper's white lighter fiancé. Don't think we won't do the same to you four.'

'We don't want to hurt you,' said the dark lighter. 'We can take you to your sister.'

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks.

'Why should we trust you?' said Piper.

'Paige is part dark lighter now,' said the dark lighter. 'We would never hurt her.'

'Why do you want us?' asked Phoebe.

'Your sister has the Book. She wants you to meet her in the underworld,' said the dark lighter.

'What is in it for you?' asked Piper.

'Yeah, I see why we would want to find Paige, and why she would want to find us. What I don't see is why you would want to help,' said Phoebe. 'You know that uniting the evil Power of Three will probably make us unstoppable.'

The dark lighter nodded. 'Yes, but we would like you to know that the dark lighters are on your side. We were never in league with the Source, and we would rather that there was a dark lighter in control of the underworld. Even if she is only part dark lighter.'

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks again.

'Take us to our sister,' said Piper.

The four dark lighters orbed Piper and Phoebe into a room. The dark lighters orbed out, leaving Piper and Phoebe in there alone.

'Hey! Come back!' shouted Phoebe. 'Paige is not in here!'

'Phoebe,' said Piper.

Phoebe turned to Piper and noticed what Piper was looking at. They were not the only ones in the room. Chained to the wall was a young man. Piper and Phoebe recognised the man as Paige's date from the other day: Michael.

Piper and Phoebe approached Michael.

'Michael? What are you doing here?' said Piper. 'Where is Paige?'

'Do I look like I am in control?' moaned Michael, gesturing towards the chains.

'He is a prisoner,' said Phoebe. 'Just blow him up. He is no use to us.'

Piper raised her hands.

Michael laughed. 'Your powers won't work in here! Besides, you don't want to kill me!'

Piper put her hands down.

'We are listening,' said Piper.

'I am the reason that you are evil,' said Michael. 'If I die, the marriage between Paige and I becomes void, and the three of you return to being goody-goods. That is why the dark lighters have not killed me.'

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks.

'I definitely prefer the power of being evil,' said Piper.

Phoebe nodded and turned to Michael. 'So if this is prison, then that makes us prisoners too. The dark lighters lied to us. They wanted us out of the way so as they could have the Book.'

'And Paige,' added Michael. 'I heard them discussing that as part warlock, part dark lighter, and a Charmed One, she could be the most powerful person in the underworld.'

'We should get out of here, and save our sister. We need to create the evil Power of Three,' said Piper. Phoebe agreed.

Piper and Phoebe blinked. Nothing happened.

'Why are we still in here?' asked Phoebe.

'I am a warlock too,' said Michael. 'Don't you think if I could have escaped by blinking I would have done it by now? This room is impervious to warlock magic. I think the whole of the dark lighter lair is impervious to warlock magic.'

Piper and Phoebe sighed.

'There is always the prospect of finding another way of killing Michael so as we become witches again,' suggested Phoebe. 'That way we could use our witch powers to break out of here.'

Piper mulled over the idea, while a look of terror presented itself on Michael's face.

'Killing me defeats the purpose,' said Michael. 'You will just turn good again.'

Piper and Phoebe groaned.

'Maybe you could get Belthazar down here, Pheebs?' said Piper. 'He could break us out.'

'Demon powers are impervious too,' said Michael.

Piper and Phoebe glared at Michael.

'You keep saying 'powers'. How about spells?' asked Phoebe.

Before Michael could reply, two dark lighters had orbed into the room. One was Thorpe, the other was Paige.

Paige smiled when she saw her sisters. 'Piper. Phoebe.'

'Paige,' said Piper and Phoebe smiling.

Then Paige noticed Michael chained to the wall. Paige turned to Thorpe.

'You want me to practice the touch of death on Michael?' asked Paige.

'No,' said Thorpe. 'Your victims are your two sisters.'

Paige looked at Piper and Phoebe.

'Victims?' said Phoebe. 'Look, we only came here to find you, Paige.'

'Yeah, Paige,' said Piper. 'If we unite as the evil Charmed Ones, we will be unstoppable.'

'Don't listen to them, Paige,' said Thorpe. 'You can rule without your sisters. You are more dark lighter than warlock.'

Paige looked like she was unsure as to which side to pick.

'Paige, we are your sisters,' said Piper.

'She is evil!' said Thorpe. 'Family means nothing.'

'If I kill you two, I will still be powerful and I won't have to share the power,' said Paige.

Piper and Phoebe backed up a little.

'Paige…' said Piper. 'Kill the dark lighter, not us.'

Phoebe tried to kick Thorpe, but he orbed a few metres out of her way.

'Are you not going to attack us?' Phoebe asked Thorpe.

'This is not my fight. I am only here to observe,' said Thorpe. 'Paige, I believe it is your turn to make a move.'

Paige nodded. Piper and Phoebe exchanged worried looks. They were powerless and their sister was about to kill them.

Paige advanced towards Piper and Phoebe. She held her hand out in front of her.

'Which sister are you going to try the touch of death on first?' asked Thorpe.

Paige thought about it for a split second. She had been arguing with Phoebe earlier about the Cole stuff. 'Phoebe.'

'Nice choice,' said Thorpe.

Piper stepped away from Phoebe. Piper was evil – and therefore selfish. Although she cherished the notion of creating the evil Power of Three, she was currently powerless and did not want to get in the way of Paige while she was trying to kill Phoebe.

Piper looked for a door. There was not one. The dark lighters – it seemed – always chose to orb their prisoners in and out of the room, so there was no need for a door. No escape. Piper found she had circled the edge of the room and was now standing right next to Michael.

Paige had backed Phoebe into the corner of the room. Phoebe ducked as Paige stuck her hand out. Paige's hand hit the wall, leaving a scorch mark on the wall.

Paige snarled.

'Er… Piper, what rhymes with vanquish?' asked Phoebe as she dodged another attack from Paige.

'What do you mean?' asked Piper. 'We are warlocks. We don't need to say a spell for it to work. We only need to think it.'

'Yes, but those are warlock powers,' said Phoebe. 'I think we can still get worded spells to work in here though.'

'Try a different word to vanquish,' said Piper. 'Maybe something that rhymes with dark lighter?'

'Dark lighter?' said Phoebe as she dodged more of Paige's attacks. Phoebe was so glad she had taken self defence lessons and Paige had not. She doubted she would have survived this long otherwise.

'Ha! You cannot vanquish us dark lighters that easily,' laughed Thorpe.

Phoebe began to recite a spell:

'_Vanquish that man within those chains,_

_Put him in a lot of pain._

_Kill that warlock,_

_Vanquish him, like the explosion of a rock_.'

Michael screamed and exploded. Thorpe frowned.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige shivered as they felt the evil wash off of them.

Paige helped Phoebe to her feet. Piper joined her two sisters.

'You wanted to vanquish Michael?' said Piper.

'Yeah. You had left me to defend myself against Paige,' said Phoebe. 'My only choice was to vanquish Michael so as we could turn good again.'

'I am so sorry for leaving you like that,' said Piper. 'I don't know how I could have been so selfish!'

'And Pheebs, I am so sorry for trying to kill you,' said Paige. 'Same to you, Piper, considering you were next on my list.'

'Can I break up these apologies?' said Thorpe.

The three sisters turned to see Thorpe aiming a crossbow at them.

'I now have three witches in here. One of whom is part white lighter,' said Thorpe. 'I despise white lighters. And if I kill the three of you now, I can keep the Book of Shadows.'

Paige held Piper and Phoebe's hands, and tried to orb, but she could not.

Thorpe laughed. 'Don't you think this room would be immune to white lighter powers too?'

Paige grimaced.

Piper and Phoebe stood in front of Paige.

'We won't let you hurt our sister,' said Piper.

'Piper! That arrow can still hurt you!' said Paige.

'Yes, but it won't be fatal for me,' said Piper.

'Or me,' said Phoebe.

'The only way you three could leave this room is by a dark lighter orbing you out,' said Thorpe.

'Or a spell,' said Phoebe.

'A spell?' said Thorpe.

'Phoebe is quite handy with making up spells on the spot,' said Piper smiling.

Phoebe and Paige nodded.

'Pheebs, you may lead,' said Paige.

Phoebe cleared her throat and said:

'_Take us three,_

_To be free._

_Take us to the Book,_

_Which from us was took_.'

The three sisters disappeared from the room and reappeared inside another doorless room. The Book of Shadows stood on a stand in the middle.

Paige picked up the Book.

Three dark lighters and Thorpe orbed into the room. Piper and Phoebe both had a crossbow pointed at each of them. Thorpe and the third dark lighter were both pointing a crossbow at Paige.

'Pheebs,' said Piper hurriedly.

Phoebe nodded and said:

'_Take us three out of here,_

_To the place we hold very dear._

_Don't let them follow,_

_Let them wallow_.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige disappeared and appeared in the attic. Paige placed the Book on the stand.

'Should we be ready for an attack?' Piper said.

'No. In my spell, I made sure that they could not sense where we went,' said Phoebe.

'Pheebs, we are the Charmed Ones, every demon, warlock, and dark lighter in the underworld knows where we live,' said Paige.

'Oh oops,' said Phoebe. 'That voids that part of the spell.'

Paige started flicking through the Book for a vanquishing spell.

Thorpe and a number of dark lighters appeared in the attic.

Piper started to blow some of the dark lighters up, but there were too many of them.

'A vanquishing spell won't work on this many,' said Piper.

'Power of Three?' suggested Phoebe.

'It will have to do,' said Piper.

While Piper tried to blow up any arrows that came their way, Phoebe scribbled down a spell and held it up in front of her so as Piper and Paige could see it too. Together they chanted:

'_The Power of Three will set us free,_

_The Power of Three will set us free._

_We are ready born fighters,_

_So will vanquish these dark lighters._

_The Power of Three will set us free,_

_The Power of Three will set us free_.'

The dark lighters burst into flames. Soon the sisters were the only ones left standing in the attic.

'Ready born fighters?' laughed Paige.

'You try and think of something that rhymes with dark lighters,' said Phoebe.

Paige shrugged.

Piper was looking at the state of the attic.

'We need to clear this place up,' said Piper. 'We have vanquished so many demons in here today. And now so many dark lighters too. And – oh my gosh! Leo!'

Piper fell to the floor and burst into tears.

'What? What happened?' asked Paige.

'Piper, er, she, er, blew Leo up earlier,' said Phoebe.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. I did not expect to finish this in one chapter. Yay. I hope you liked it. Next chapter is back to the present day.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Just to clarify, the previous chapter was the story that Phoebe was telling Prue. This chapter is now Prue's reaction to what she has been told. Plus a rescue attempt. Please read and review.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**2001 – Present Day**

'So the three of you did become evil?' said Prue. 'You say Piper killed Leo, but he is alive.'

'Leo was not killed, he only made it look like he was dead while we were temporarily evil,' said Phoebe. 'So do you believe me?'

Prue and Phoebe were still sitting in the interrogation room at the police station. It had only taken Phoebe ten minutes to tell the story.

'You were corrupted by evil very easily,' Prue pointed out.

'Yes, but as you noticed, I decided to make us good again,' said Phoebe.

'Yes, but you only did that to save yourself because Paige was trying to kill you,' said Prue.

'Yes, but when you are evil, becoming good is not an easy choice to make,' said Phoebe.

'Yes, but you should not have let yourself become evil in the first place,' said Prue.

'Yes, but Piper, Paige, and I had no control over that,' said Phoebe.

'Yes, but –' began Prue, but Phoebe interrupted her.

'So you believe my story then?' smiled Phoebe.

Prue nodded. 'Only that the three of you are good witches. I still do not believe that Andy, Petey, or I are witches.'

Phoebe stood up. 'I don't care about convincing you of that right now,' said Phoebe. 'What is important is getting you to safety.'

Prue sighed. 'How about Andy?'

'Andy is safe, because Shax was not sent after him,' said Phoebe. 'He was sent after you. Probably because you are the witch.'

'I am not a witch!' shouted Prue.

The table went flying against the door.

'And it looks like your telekinesis is controlled by your emotions,' added Phoebe.

'Stop it!' shouted Prue.

'Look, you may not believe me, but I know that your past life was also a witch,' said Phoebe. 'In fact, she was related to our family. Although you might not be related, you are still a witch. You may not have known it, but you are. You passed your witch powers to your son, and now you are in as much danger as your son.'

'Say you were right, and I was a witch, then surely I could fend for myself?' said Prue.

'Hey! Stop ending one argument just to start up another!' said Phoebe. 'I am helping you. You are not a Charmed One, like me or my sisters. You won't survive against a demon like that. You have never even fought a demon before.'

'You kept mentioning Charmed Ones and demons and dark lighters and I think white lighters too in your story,' said Prue. 'I think I have learned enough from that.'

Prue used her telekinesis to move the table which was blocking the door.

'Wow, telekinesis is actually quite a nice power,' said Prue.

Prue opened the door and left the interrogation room. Phoebe tried to follow her, but two officers who had been waiting outside pushed Phoebe back into the interrogation room.

'Prue!' shouted Phoebe.

Prue did not turn around. She continued walking.

'Prue! You won't be able to find Petey without me!' shouted Phoebe.

Prue stopped. She turned around.

'Officers, let her go,' said Prue.

'Ma'am, this woman has kidnapped your son. She also has some strange powers,' said one of the officers who had pushed Phoebe back into the interrogation room. 'We even heard her make a threat just now that you won't ever see Petey again if you do not listen to her.'

Phoebe gulped. Hearing what she had said from the officer's point of view did make her look like the bad guy. Phoebe hoped Prue had not thought Phoebe had meant it in that way. From what Prue said next, Phoebe was relieved to see that Prue had understood her.

'Officer, I want to drop all charges on that woman and her sisters,' said Prue. 'They have done nothing wrong. They are trying to help find my son. They are not his kidnappers.'

'Even if that is the case, they could still be dangerous,' said the officer.

The two officers were still blocking the door to the interrogation room so as Phoebe could not leave.

'We don't have time for this,' said Phoebe.

'We don't,' agreed Prue.

Prue squinted at the two officers. The two officers went flying across the room.

Phoebe gaped at the officers and then at Prue.

'I want that power,' moaned Phoebe.

'Stop moaning and run,' suggested Prue.

Phoebe nodded. Prue squinted at the keys on the table and they went flying over to Phoebe. Phoebe took the keys and unlocked her handcuffs, freeing her hands.

'Let's go,' said Phoebe.

Prue and Phoebe left the police station. Prue got into her car and beckoned for Phoebe to get into the passengers seat.

Once Prue had started driving, Phoebe asked, 'Where are we going?'

'Well, we cannot go to your place, because the police will still be there,' said Prue. 'We cannot go to mine, because the officers I just assaulted will go looking for me there.'

'Where can we go?' asked Phoebe.

'Where do you and your sisters usually go when you cannot go home?' asked Prue.

Phoebe smiled. 'P3.'

'Huh?' said Prue.

'P3. It is Piper's club. It will be empty as it is midday,' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe, I am new to this town, I don't know where P3 is,' said Prue.

'Oh, oops, I forgot,' said Phoebe. 'Take a left after the traffic lights.'

Phoebe continued to direct Prue until they arrived at P3. When they entered the club, Phoebe sat on a bar stool, while Prue paced the room.

'How can you just sit there?' scowled Prue. 'Your sisters are in trouble. My son is in trouble.'

'I know. I know,' said Phoebe. 'It is just weird. Usually only one of us is absent at most, therefore, I am not usually left by myself to think up a plan.'

'You are not alone,' said Prue. 'You have me.'

'You are new to this,' said Phoebe.

'Does that matter?' asked Prue. 'Phoebe, I am determined to do whatever is necessary to get my son back. The only reason I have not done anything yet is because all I know for sure is that I have telekinesis. In your story, you mentioned a magical book?'

'The Book of Shadows,' said Phoebe. 'Leo took that with him. I don't know where he put it, or where he is… Leo! Leo!'

Prue looked at Phoebe, wondering why she was shouting Leo's name.

'Leo is not here…' said Prue, looking at Phoebe as if she was crazy.

'White lighters can hear their charges,' said Phoebe. 'Leo! Leo! He must be in the underworld if he cannot hear me. Oh, I hope Piper, Paige, Leo, and Cole are alright.'

'And I hope they are with Petey,' added Prue.

Phoebe nodded.

'In your story, you were able to say a spell off the top of your head,' said Prue. 'Can't we do that now?'

Phoebe pondered the idea. 'We could come up with a spell in order to take ourselves down there, but that may be dangerous. However, that would reunite the Power of Three, and with you down there with us, we would be able to keep you safe still if Shax comes.'

'And we would be able to rescue my son,' added Prue. 'Stop forgetting about my son.'

'Sorry,' said Phoebe. 'I have not forgotten about Petey. I have enough faith in my sisters to know that he is safe.'

Prue smiled. Phoebe smiled back.

'So does the spell only need to rhyme?' asked Prue.

Phoebe nodded.

'Take Phoebe and I to the underworld,

Where my son and her sisters are being –'

Prue was interrupted. She was knocked off her feet as a tornado of air whipped into the room revealing Shax. Phoebe helped Prue to her feet.

'What – What is that?' asked Prue, staring in awe at Shax.

'That is Shax,' said Phoebe.

Shax held out his hand. The motion of this with his powers threw Prue and Phoebe across the room. They hit the wall of P3, and landed on the chairs at the table that Piper always kept back for her and her sisters.

Phoebe felt her head. She was bleeding, but she was still conscious, and was not going to let Shax win. Prue stood up. She was a little shaken as this was her first experience of a demon attack. However, she was not going to go down without a proper fight.

Prue squinted at Shax, hoping to throw him across the room. However, this did not work. Therefore, Prue squinted at a table instead, and it went flying at Shax. Prue then looked at every single bottle behind the bar, causing every single bit of glass to explode, and go flying directly at Shax.

Shax glowered at Prue. Using his tornado-like teleportation power, Shax disappeared.

'Is he gone for good?' Prue asked Phoebe.

Phoebe shook her head. 'He probably left to recover from your attack, which I must add was fricking awesome!'

'If you are a Charmed One and you say that the Charmed Ones are all powerful, why could you not help?' asked Prue.

Phoebe went red with embarrassment. 'My only active power is levitation, which is only an aid to my martial arts.'

'Levitation?' said Prue. 'I bet I can make myself levitate using my telekinesis.'

Phoebe laughed. 'You are quite competitive, aren't you? Oh, and before you try and diss my levitation power again, it appears that levitation is Petey's active power, so if you are going to diss my power, you are only dissing his.'

Prue smiled, happy to see Phoebe retaliate.

'Besides, you can also see the future. That is how you knew there was some demon after me,' said Prue. 'That power must come in very useful.'

Phoebe smiled. 'Thank you. Would you like to continue your spell?'

Prue nodded and said:

'_Take Phoebe and I to the underworld,_

_Where my son and her sisters are being held._'

Prue and Phoebe appeared in the underworld. Next to them was an open doorway that led to a room that was obscured by smoke.

'Should we go in?' asked Phoebe.

Prue was busy looking at their surroundings.

'The demons don't know much about interior design, do they?' said Prue.

Phoebe laughed.

'Phoebe?'

The voice had come from within the concealed room. Prue and Phoebe exchanged looks.

'We should go in,' said Prue. 'That sounded like one of your sisters.'

'It could be a trap,' said Phoebe.

'My spell did say to take us to your sisters and my son,' said Prue.

'Fair point,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe was about to enter when Prue stopped her.

'I should go first,' said Prue. 'I have the active power. If anything attacks, I can stop it.'

'I have martial arts,' said Phoebe.

'That won't fend off a long range attack,' said Prue.

Phoebe frowned, but then thought about the possibility of fireballs so gave in.

Prue entered, closely followed by Phoebe. The first thing Prue saw was Petey suspended in the air, unconscious. The first thing Phoebe saw was Cole lying on the ground, hurt.

Prue squinted at Petey. He came flying down into her hands.

'Wake up, Petey,' said Prue.

Petey would not wake up. Prue was worried, but was relieved to find that he was breathing. 'Wake up!' He would not wake up.

Phoebe had run over to Cole.

'Cole! Cole! Are you okay?' Phoebe asked Cole.

Cole smirked at Phoebe.

'Phoebe,' Cole said weakly. 'Remember me. I will always love you.'

'Don't say that, Cole,' said Phoebe. She was crying now, holding his head in her lap. 'You are not going to die! Don't say that!'

Prue and Phoebe looked around when they heard someone clear their throat. They suddenly noticed Piper, Paige, and Leo chained to the wall.

'Hello,' said Piper matter-of-factly. 'Could we get some help over here?'

'Oh, sorry,' said Prue.

Prue squinted at the chains and the chains went flying off the three captives.

Now that they were free, Piper and Paige walked over to Prue. Leo walked over to Phoebe.

'Phoebe, help me carry Cole out of here,' said Leo. 'My powers are blocked in this room, but I can heal his human half outside in the tunnel. That may be enough to help him last longer for now.'

Phoebe complied, helping Leo carry Cole out of the room.

Piper and Paige were staring at Prue.

'Er, can I help you?' said Prue.

'I guess I can see the similarities,' said Paige.

'Excuse me?' said Prue.

'I don't know…' said Piper. 'I think I am still in denial about the whole thing.'

'Denial? About what?' said Prue, irritated that they were not explaining anything to her.

Phoebe had re-entered the room.

'Paige, we need you out here,' said Phoebe. 'Leo and I think that if you help him heal Cole, we might be able to fully heal him.'

Paige nodded and left the room with Phoebe, leaving Piper alone in the room with Prue, who was holding Petey.

'If you don't tell me why you are staring at me, I will use my telekinesis to put those chains back on you,' said Prue as a joke.

Piper gaped, suddenly realising something, forgot all about answering Prue's question.

'How come you were able to use your powers in here?' said Piper. 'Witch and white lighter powers do not work in here.'

As if to test this theory, Piper flicked her hands at Cole who was walking back into the room, fully healed. Cole did not blow up or freeze. Phoebe, Paige, and Leo walked in behind Cole.

'See? My powers don't work, why do yours?' Piper asked.

Prue shrugged. 'I am the one who is new to all of this, so how do you expect me to know?'

'It is because Prue has not chosen a side yet,' said Cole. 'She still has the Window of Opportunity.'

'You said that was a forty eight hour thing,' said Piper. 'If Prue became a witch on the night she met us, then those forty eight hours were over ages ago.'

Cole shook his head. 'The forty eight hours start from when the witch finds out that she is a witch.' Cole turned to Prue. 'Prue, when did you start to believe that you could actually be a witch?'

'Er, maybe a couple of hours ago,' said Prue. 'What is the Window of Opportunity?'

'I want to know too,' said Phoebe.

'All you need to know is that it is a forty eight hour mythological window where a new witch can choose whether they will be good or evil,' said Leo.

'Prue, you are going to choose good, right?' asked Phoebe, turning to look at Prue.

Prue did not answer. She looked at Leo. 'Did you say something about healing? Do you think you could get Petey to wake up?'

'I can try,' said Leo. 'However, if he is under some sort of demonic spell, I may be unable to heal him.'

All of them left the room. Leo and Paige orbed them to P3. He took Petey over to a table. Prue followed.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige remained by the bar.

'What happened in here?' Piper asked, horrified by the shattered glass and over turned tables.

'Shax attacked here,' said Phoebe. 'Prue used her powers to defend herself.'

'Wow, we have one powerful sister,' said Paige.

'What?' said Phoebe.

Piper and Paige exchanged looks. They took Phoebe over to the other side of the room, so as they were as far away from Prue, Leo, and Petey as possible. Piper and Paige explained everything to Phoebe.

Meanwhile, Leo was hovering his hand over Petey. Petey was not waking up.

'Leo,' said Prue. 'It is not working. How can I undo this demonic spell?'

'The only way would be to vanquish the demon that put the spell on him,' said Leo.

'Then I will do that,' said Prue.

Leo sighed. 'Prue, the demon that put that spell on Petey was probably the Source. He is too powerful. Even the three Charmed Ones have struggled to fend off his attacks.'

'The Source has not met me yet,' said Prue. 'I can take him.'

Leo sighed. 'I can see you get your stubbornness from the family.'

'Excuse me?' said Prue.

'Never mind,' said Leo. He did not feel it was his place to tell Prue.

Leo noticed that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were talking on the other side of the club.

'I will be back in a second,' Leo said to Prue. He left Prue with Petey, while he walked over to the three sisters.

Piper smiled at Leo when she saw him approach.

'We were just getting Phoebe up to date with everything,' said Piper.

Leo kissed Piper. Piper hissed in pain, refraining from the kiss. Leo remembered Piper's cut lip and cut forehead. He had already healed Paige's arm earlier, straight after the two of them had healed Cole. Leo had also taken the chance to heal Phoebe when in the tunnel. It was about time that Leo healed his wife. Leo hovered his hand over Piper's head. Her split lip and cut forehead healed. Piper smiled and kissed Leo.

'So are we going to tell Prue?' asked Phoebe.

'I don't know,' said Piper. 'I don't know if I am ready to have a big sister.'

'It is not a choice,' said Phoebe. 'She _is_ our big sister.'

'We don't know that for sure,' said Piper.

'She looks like us,' said Phoebe.

'That is exactly what I said,' said Paige.

'You only think she looks similar because the idea that she could be related is in your head,' said Piper.

'No, I am sure she is our sister,' said Phoebe. 'She has to be.'

'You did not even notice anything until we told you,' said Piper. 'You know what, there is only one person who can answer this for us.'

'Mum?' said Paige.

Piper nodded.

'Do you have any candles at P3?' asked Phoebe.

'No, I am not allowed,' said Piper. 'Apparently it is a fire hazard.'

'You so wanted to roll your eyes just now,' laughed Paige.

Piper glared at Paige.

'Where's Cole?' Leo asked.

Piper and Paige looked around P3.

'He did not come back with us?' asked Paige.

Leo shook his head. Piper and Paige looked at Phoebe. Phoebe was avoiding their eye contact.

'Pheebs, where did Cole go?' asked Paige.

'He went to confront Shax,' said Phoebe. 'Lure him back here.'

'Phoebe, how could you think we are ready to face Shax?' shouted Piper.

'Well, I did not know about the sister business, did I?' said Phoebe. 'I just thought Prue was an average innocent, and we needed to help her out as soon as we were ready. Besides, we have the Power of Three now, possibly even the Power of Four, so why should we be worrying? We can vanquish Shax easily.'

'Maybe we should be worrying because Prue has left with Petey,' said Leo.

'What?' said Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all at once.

The three of them turned around to see that Prue and Petey were not present in P3. The club was empty apart from the four of them.

'Leo! Why did you not stop them?' said Paige.

'I did not see her leave,' said Leo. 'I literally turned around a minute ago and noticed they were gone.'

'Well, on the bright side, Cole is luring Shax here, so Prue will be in the clear while we vanquish Shax,' said Phoebe.

'On the not-so-bright side, our sister who does not even know she is our sister is wandering the streets with her son, with the possibility of choosing evil over good,' said Paige.

'You think Prue would choose evil over good?' asked Piper.

'She might if she thinks that will save her son,' said Leo.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you think? Everyone but Prue (and Andy) knows who her real family are. Would Prue ever choose evil over good? Or will she choose to try vanquishing the Source on her own?


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

It had been five minutes since the sisters had realised that Prue had left P3. Leo had orbed out to find the Book – which the Elders had – so as he could take note of the Shax vanquishing spell for them. They did not want to bring the Book back down just yet, not until the mess was all sorted.

'I hope Shax turns up soon,' said Paige. 'We need to leave and find Prue.'

'Yeah, but Cole is luring Shax here,' said Phoebe. 'Prue will be fine as long as we vanquish Shax here and now.'

'Unless she chooses evil while we are busy…' mumbled Piper.

Piper was still doubtful that Prue was their sister. However, she had witnessed how powerful a witch Prue was and knew that they could not let Prue choose evil over good.

Leo orbed in with three pieces of paper in his hand. Each one had a copy of the vanquishing spell written on it. He gave one to each of the sisters.

'Thanks, Leo,' said Phoebe.

Suddenly Cole shimmered in. He did not look pleased.

'Shax is not coming,' said Cole. 'It did not work. He knew that I was trying to tempt him into a trap.'

'So Shax is still focused on going after Prue?' asked Leo.

Cole nodded sullenly. 'I wish I could have helped more.'

'Then we should split up and look for her,' said Piper. 'Whoever finds her first should holler for Leo, so as Leo can take us all to where Prue is.'

Everyone agreed on this plan.

'Paige, can you go to Prue's house? She might be there. Phoebe, Leo, Cole, we will all search the area separately,' said Piper. Then she added, 'Oh, and one more thing, whoever finds Prue cannot tell her that she is our sister.'

'Why not?' asked Phoebe. 'She has a right to know.'

'Yes, but there is no proof that she really is our sister,' said Piper. 'Therefore, if we tell her that and then she finds out that she is not, it may tip her over the edge as she may believe we did it to get her on our side. Therefore, we could just end up pushing her further towards evil.'

Phoebe and Paige agreed reluctantly. Leo and Cole did not make a response.

They all left P3, splitting up.

* * *

Prue was walking along the silent street in the cold of the night. She was not too sure which street she was walking along as she still did not know her way around San Francisco.

In her hands was Petey who was still as unconscious as he had been previously. As Prue walked along the street, she continued to try to think of ways to bring Petey back to consciousness.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo did not seem to know if there was a way to wake Petey up with magic. However, Phoebe had told Prue that evil was more powerful than good. Did that mean that if Prue chose evil, she might be powerful enough to save Petey? Prue quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She would never turn evil – but what if that was the only way to save Petey? No, Leo had said that if she vanquished the demon that put the spell on Petey, then he would wake up. Therefore, Prue set her mind on vanquishing the Source.

Prue continued walking. She was looking at Petey in her arms, rather than looking at where she was going. Therefore, Prue was shocked when she heard an engine and saw headlights coming her way. Prue looked up. She had walked into the middle of a road and a huge lorry was heading her way at a fast pace. The driver had only just noticed her and his lorry was screeching as he had his foot on his brake. However, he was not going to be able to slow down enough to come to a full stop before connecting with Prue and Petey. Prue did not have time to run out of the way.

In the split second that this was all taking place, Prue squinted at the lorry and it went flying a few metres over her head, landing on the road to the other side of her safely. The lorry continued driving for a few metres before stopping.

Before the startled lorry driver could get out of the lorry and ask her awkward questions as to what happened, Prue ran down the road into a dark alley.

* * *

Piper was driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on the look out for Prue. It was getting late and the sun had set moments earlier, but she knew she had to continue looking. Piper may not have believed that Prue was their sister, but she knew that Prue was their innocent. Piper had to find Prue. She could not let Prue stay out there alone. Prue had powers to protect herself, but Piper had a feeling that Prue could do with the help of the Power of Three.

Leo orbed into the passenger's seat of the car. Piper skidded for a second at the surprise of him doing that. However, she quickly regained control of the car.

'Leo! What are you doing here?' asked Piper, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove on. 'Are you here because Phoebe, Paige, or Cole found Prue? Where is Prue?'

Leo frowned. 'I have had no word from Phoebe or Paige yet. If Cole had found her I would not be able to hear his call.'

'Then why are you here? We are supposed to be searching separately, covering more ground,' said Piper.

'Piper, honey, I wanted to see you,' said Leo. 'Since the baby sitting disaster, we have not had a chance to talk. Just the two of us. Husband and wife.'

Piper smiled. 'Leo, you know I love you.'

'I know you do, and I love you too,' said Leo. 'I am concerned about you, though. You have had so much stress with your new power; your inability to use your old power; Petey going missing; facing the Source; finding out that Prue is your sis –'

Piper interrupted Leo. 'Prue is not my sister.'

'Piper…' said Leo.

'There is no proof that she is,' said Piper. 'Until I hear it from mum, I will not take it as fact. Prue is just my innocent and Andy's wife. That is the only reason why I am helping her.'

'Piper…' said Leo.

'Leo, you know I have never wanted to be a witch and I was hoping that as soon as we have vanquished the Source, we could get on with normal lives – hopefully vanquishing the Source will help to do that,' said Piper.

'Piper, I can tell that that is not your real reason for not wanting Prue to be your sister,' said Leo. 'You are so used to being in control that you are worried about having an older sister that will take over what has always been your role – the responsibility of looking out for Phoebe and Paige.'

'That's ridiculous, Leo!' said Piper. Then after a brief pause, and with a slightly calmer tone, Piper asked, 'Have you had a chance to ask the Elders if they think the Source is right about Prue?'

'Yes,' said Leo.

'And? What was their answer?' asked Piper, looking at Leo.

'Watch the road!' said Leo.

'Huh?' said Piper.

Leo pointed at the windscreen. Piper turned to see a fireball flying towards them. It was still far away, but they could tell what it was and it was directed at them.

'Leo, grab the steering wheel!' said Piper.

Piper released the steering wheel while Leo grabbed it. Piper flicked her hands at the fireball, it did not freeze. It was still heading towards them as they continued to drive towards it.

'Leo! Why did it not freeze?' asked Piper.

Leo did not reply and although his hands were on the steering wheel, the car started to veer to the side a little. The fireball decided to move too so as it was still in front of the car, heading towards them.

Piper looked at Leo and noticed that he was frozen. She flicked her hands at him. Leo was oblivious to the fact that he had just been frozen as he unfroze and continued to do what he was doing before he had been frozen. Leo was trying to move out of the fireballs path, but it kept moving back into their path.

'Why can I not freeze it?' Piper said again.

'Two possibilities. You may be out of range, or your power might only work within the same room,' said Leo.

'I want my explosion power back,' moaned Piper.

Piper grabbed the steering wheel and turned the car around so as the fireball was now behind them. They were now driving away from the fireball. However the fireball was speeding up.

'Piper!' warned Leo, who was looking out the back window. 'It is getting closer.'

'Leo, I cannot exactly get the car out of the way! We are limited with our turn-offs as we are on a bridge!' said Piper.

The car was now illuminated in red as the fireball behind them was very close.

Leo grabbed Piper and orbed them out of the car. The couple reappeared a few metres away on the surface of the bridge. They watched as the fireball hit the car. The car exploded.

Piper embraced Leo. Then the two of them had a look at their surroundings on the bridge. To one side of them was the flaming wreckage of the car. To the other side was nothing but darkness.

'Do you sense any nearby demons?' Piper asked Leo.

Leo shook his head.

'Then who sent the fireball?' said Piper.

'That was no ordinary demon's fireball,' said Leo. 'It was enchanted to ensure that it hit the car.'

'Do you think the Source enchanted it?' said Piper.

'I think the Source had an upper-level demon attack us, and that was the demon's form of attack,' said Leo. 'I have a feeling the Source is sending demons after us to stop us from finding Prue,' said Leo.

'Then we have to warn Phoebe and Paige,' said Piper.

* * *

Phoebe walked onto Prescott Street. She was hoping to find Prue somewhere nearby. She was hoping that Prue would have gone to the manor. Phoebe knew that when she had first found out that she was a witch, she had wanted to spend a lot of time in the attic, where the magic seemed to originate from. Since Prue knew the sisters were magical, it was possible Prue had returned to the manor to try to find out more about witchcraft. This was just an instinct that Phoebe had followed. It could be completely wrong – and it was completely wrong, but Phoebe did not know that.

As Phoebe approached the manor, she saw four police cars stationed outside. One was on their driveway. Two were parked along the kerb, directly outside the manor. The fourth was parked on the grass of their front garden. Phoebe frowned. Piper was going to go ballistic when she found out that the police had ruined their front garden. Phoebe sighed. Would they ever get to return home? Would they ever sort out the issue? Magic was exposed. They could not exactly wipe every police officer's mind.

Phoebe hid behind a nearby tree when she saw two police officers exit the manor. The street was quiet enough for her to hear their conversation.

'Barnes, Trudeau is not happy with the situation at all,' said one of the police officers addressing the other.

'Willoughby, we have evidence that Trudeau's wife is just like them,' said Barnes to the first police officer. 'Trudeau may be taking the news harshly that his wife is one of them, but she did assault Hill and me telepathically.'

'I think the term is telekinetically,' said Willoughby.

'Whatever, I don't know this magic terminology,' said Barnes. 'The point is that when we find Prudence Halliwell, we will have to arrest her.'

'Do you think we will find her?' asked Willoughby. 'We still have not found Piper, Phoebe, Paige Halliwell, or their accomplices.'

'Do you think they are related? They have the same last name,' said Barnes.

Willoughby mumbled something that Phoebe could not discern. She heard a car door open and shut. One of the police cars drove past her. Both police officers were in it. There were probably at least six more police officers in the manor as three police cars still remained parked outside the manor.

Phoebe figured that if the police were still on the lookout at the manor, and were looking for Prue – as well as for Piper, Phoebe, and Paige – then it was very likely that Prue would not be around here.

Cole shimmered in behind Phoebe. Phoebe heard the sudden movement, so automatically threw her elbow backwards, ramming it into Cole's stomach.

Phoebe turned around to kick the individual. She suddenly realised that it was Cole and stopped, leaving her foot hanging in mid-air for a second or two before putting her foot back onto the floor.

'Cole,' Phoebe whispered. She did not want to talk too loudly in case the police officers inside the manor looked out the window and saw her. 'I am so sorry. I did not mean to attack you. I thought you were a demon.'

Cole smiled and Phoebe realised what she had said.

'I meant an evil demon,' Phoebe corrected herself.

'Technically that is why I am here,' said Cole. 'I sensed demonic activity here on Prescott Street and I came to check it out.'

'You were sensing for demonic activity?' said Phoebe. 'You were meant to be searching for Prue.'

'I was. I decided to search for her by going to places where I sensed demonic activity. In case the Source decides to send more than just Shax after Prue,' said Cole. 'Why are you on Prescott Street?'

'I thought I would search here for Prue,' said Phoebe.

'You thought Prue might go to your house, where she knows there are police officers?' said Cole. 'I think she would be more likely to flee to her own home.'

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. 'If you think that, then why don't you go straight there and look instead of sensing for demons?'

'Paige is there,' said Cole. 'I doubt Paige would like me intruding on her personal space.'

Phoebe nodded.

Cole pushed Phoebe to the ground. The tree suddenly caught alight as a fireball had been thrown in their direction.

'What? How?' said Phoebe.

'Probably from the demon that I sensed on the street,' said Cole.

Phoebe and Cole moved away from the burning tree. They tried to see if they could spot the offending demon anywhere. They could not.

'Did you see the demon that threw it?' asked Phoebe.

'No,' said Cole. 'All I saw was the fireball heading our way.'

Six police officers had run out of the manor. They had been alerted by the burning tree. They had now spotted Phoebe and were running towards her.

Phoebe and Cole started running as the police chased them down the street.

'Take my hand,' said Cole to Phoebe. 'I can shimmer us out of here.'

'Cole, the police only know about Prue, Piper, Paige, Leo, and me being magical. You are in the clear. If you shimmer in front of them, they will know about you too.'

'Phoebe, I am running away from them with you,' said Cole. 'I think they have already figured out that I am in it with your sisters and Leo.'

Phoebe nodded and took Cole's hand. They shimmered out, reappearing at the mausoleum.

Phoebe sat down on the stone cold floor of the mausoleum. She needed to catch her breath after that run. Cole did not need to catch his breath, but he sat down next to Phoebe anyway. Cole kissed Phoebe passionately. Phoebe pushed him away.

'What's wrong?' said Cole.

'An invisible demon just attacked us and the police chased us away from my home,' said Phoebe.

'That is not what is bothering you,' said Cole.

'If Prue has gone back to her own home, she probably has the police waiting for her at her doorstep. Plus Andy already knows that Prue is a witch. I don't know… What if their confrontation is… bad…'

'If Andy does not like the fact that she is a witch, then he does not deserve to be with her,' said Cole.

'Yes, but they have Petey,' said Phoebe. 'After I was born, mum and dad split up. Before I was old enough to remember her, mum died. Dad was never in the picture because Grams got custody over us. I don't want something similar to happen to Petey.'

'Phoebe, Petey will have two loving parents, whether they stay together or not,' said Cole.

Phoebe furrowed her eyebrows.

'What's wrong now?' asked Cole.

'If there are police at Prue and Andy's home, then they will recognise Paige as soon as she gets there,' said Phoebe.

'I told you I should have been the one to go to Prue and Andy's house when searching for Prue,' said Cole.

* * *

Paige had orbed onto the street that she knew Prue and Andy lived on. Straight away, she realised which house was Prue and Andy's because of the presence of two police cars parked directly outside the house.

Paige sighed. How could Piper, Phoebe, and her have forgotten that the police would be keeping watch at Prue and Andy's house as well as the manor in case Petey came back, or in case one of the sisters came by.

Paige did not know that Prue was also on the wanted list. Therefore, Paige thought that if Prue had gone back home, she would be safely inside the house right now.

Paige closed her eyes and concentrated. She did not know what the inside of Prue and Andy's house looked like, but knew that she wanted to orb inside it. That would be her only way of getting past the police officers without being spotted.

Paige opened her eyes. She had orbed into a living room. She hoped this was the inside of Prue and Andy's house.

The whole of the downstairs was dark. However, she could see light coming from upstairs. She made her way up the stairs. The light was coming from a room. The door was ajar.

Slowly, Paige pushed the door open and entered the room. The room was a nursery. The walls were painted sky blue with white clouds. Toys littered the fluffy carpet. Someone was leaning against the railings of the empty cot.

Prue was not in the room, but Andy was.

When Paige came in, Andy looked up. Paige could tell that Andy had been expecting to see Prue when he looked up, because his face dropped as soon as he saw who it was.

'Paige? What are you doing here?' said Andy. 'I don't care how you got in, but I have to report you.'

Andy removed a walkie-talkie from his pocket.

Paige stuck her hand out and said, 'Walkie-talkie.'

The walkie-talkie disappeared from Andy's hand and reappeared in Paige's hand in a flurry of orbs.

'Hey!' shouted Andy. 'Don't you dare use magic in my house!'

Paige threw the walkie-talkie out of the nursery, and closed the door. She was blocking Andy's way out of the nursery, which meant he would have to talk to her. Paige leant her back up against the door and looked directly at Andy.

'Andy, you have to know that Piper, Phoebe, and I are innocent. We did not kidnap Petey. We left to rescue him,' said Paige.

Andy sighed. 'Phoebe said something similar before she escaped custody.'

'That is because that is the truth,' said Paige. 'I need you to answer me, Andy. Have you seen Prue today?'

'I last saw her in the police station with Phoebe. Why?' said Andy suspiciously.

'So you have not seen her in the last hour or so?' said Paige.

'No, but I have been wanting to speak to her all day. I need confirmation…' said Andy.

'Confirmation? About what?' asked Paige.

Andy hesitated before saying, 'The two officers on duty when Phoebe escaped were assaulted. They claim that Prue used magic to assault them. Paige, please tell me that Phoebe was the one who used magic on them.'

Paige frowned. 'Do you think it would be a bad thing if it had been Prue?'

Andy hesitated again. This time he decided not to give an answer. He looked away from Paige, avoiding any eye contact with her.

'Andy, before I can answer you, you are going to have to answer me,' said Paige.

Andy gulped. 'It is a lot to get my head around… The idea that my wife could be a witch… First Phoebe accuses my son of being a witch… Then she tells me that either Prue or I am a witch. Then I get told by two police officers that my wife is a witch, and that they will arrest her when they find her.'

'Andy, you have my word that my sisters and I will not let the police arrest Prue. I can also promise you that Petey is safe. Prue has him with her right now,' said Paige.

'Where are Prue and Petey?' asked Andy, finally looking at Paige again.

Paige hesitated. 'Well… You see… We don't know… She left… And we have split up to look for her…'

'She is a grown, independent woman. Why does she need you to go after her?' asked Andy.

'Please don't freak out, Andy, but let's just say the police are not the only beings after Prue,' said Paige.

Andy thought back to when Prue and him had spoken to Phoebe in the interrogation room about witches and magic and… 'Demons? Demons are after my wife?'

Slowly Paige nodded.

'Paige, my wife is with my son. Demons are after my wife. Piper, Phoebe, and you are witches, and are trying to protect my wife and son. So please answer me this, is Prue a witch?'

Paige heard a crash followed by a burning pain on her left shoulder blade. She fell forward onto the floor. She looked around at the door, which she had previously had her back against. The door was splintered and there was a scorched hole in it.

Andy knelt down to Paige's level.

'Paige! Are you okay? What was that?' asked Andy.

Suddenly the door was blasted to pieces as a second fireball came hurtling through it. This second fireball was definitely more high power than the one that had hit Paige.

'Fireball,' said Paige, using her telekinetic orbing to redirect the fireball.

The pain in her shoulder was getting to her, so instead of redirecting the fireball in the direction that it had come from in the hope that it would hit the demon, Paige accidentally redirected the fireball through the window of the nursery.

Andy ran into the hallway to see what had sent the fireball. There was no one there. Andy then returned to the nursery and looked out the window.

'Paige, you sent that fireball into a tree,' said Andy.

Paige smiled. 'Well, at least it did not hit anyone.'

Paige slowly tried to get to her feet. Andy saw Paige struggling, and helped her up.

'Let me get something to tend to your shoulder with,' said Andy.

Before either of them had a chance to leave the nursery, they heard the front door smash open.

'Trudeau! Which one of the witches is in the house with you?' shouted an officer. It was the police.

'How did they know I was here?' asked Paige.

'I think the burning tree was a give away,' said Andy.

'I have to leave,' said Paige.

They could hear hurried footsteps coming up the stairs.

'Paige! You are injured! You can hardly stand!' said Andy. 'I can try to convince the officers that you are innocent.'

'Even if you do, that will take too much time,' said Paige. 'I have to find Prue.'

Paige orbed out. She was not too sure where she was orbing to. Her shoulder was taking away her focus, but at least she had orbed out of the house.

* * *

As Prue continued down the dark alley, she felt the wind pick up. However, there had not been a breeze before, and even if there had been, Prue was sure that the walls on either side of the alleyway would block the wind.

Prue turned around to see Shax standing behind her.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was really mostly about the search for Prue, and the chance to see Andy's opinion on everything. The next chapter will involve more of Prue. Please review.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **I want each of the sisters to have a chance to bond alone with Prue. Phoebe has already done this, even if she did not know back then that they were sisters.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

'Stay away or I will hurt you,' said Prue. She sent Petey behind her, telekinetically placing him softly on the ground. She did not want Petey to be in harm's way.

Shax snarled at Prue.

'Am I making the first move then?' said Prue.

Prue squinted at Shax in an attempt to throw him across the alley. However, like earlier, this did not work. There were no movable objects in the alleyway. She was powerful, but not powerful enough to beat Shax by herself. Prue's best option right now was to run.

Before she could turn around and pick up Petey, Shax had already thrown a gust of wind in her direction. Prue was pushed to the ground, skidding along the stony ground on her back.

Prue stood up slowly, hissing in pain. She noticed that the wind had pushed Petey further along the alleyway. Shax's attack had been a blessing in disguise as he had inadvertently pushed Petey further away from the danger.

The alleyway filled with the glow of blue orbs as Paige appeared in front of Prue. Paige fell to the ground in pain. She was facing Prue and had her back to Shax. Therefore, Paige had not noticed Shax in the alleyway.

Paige laughed weakly. 'Wow, I accidentally found you. I should orb without an idea of a destination more often.' Paige suddenly noticed that they were in an alleyway. 'Prue, dark alleys are just as dangerous for witches as they are for mortals. You should not be wandering through them. Demons love to lurk down dark alleys.'

Paige suddenly noticed Prue's expression. Prue looked shaken and her body language was one of self defence. Prue was not even looking at Paige. Paige followed Prue's gaze behind her. This caused Paige to turn her head and she noticed Shax standing there.

'Oh…' said Paige. Paige looked around the alley. 'There is nothing in sight that I can telekinetically orb! How can that be?'

'Orb us,' said Prue.

'Huh?' said Paige.

'Orb us,' repeated Prue.

'Oh!' said Paige, understanding that Prue was referring to transport and not methods of attack.

Prue sent Petey flying into her hands telekinetically. Prue grabbed Paige's arm. Paige closed her eyes and tried to block the pain of her shoulder as she orbed the three of them away from Shax and out of the alley.

* * *

Piper and Leo were standing on the bridge. They knew they had to get out of there soon as the burning car was probably attracting unwanted attention and they did not want to bump into the police.

Piper put her phone back in her pocket. Luckily she had managed to grab her phone before Leo had orbed her out of the car. The rest of her purse contents and purse had gone up in flames with the car.

'Phoebe and Paige did not answer their phones,' said Piper. 'Do you think we are too late? Do you think the demon has already attacked them?'

Leo, who had his eyes closed, opened his eyes.

'I can sense both Phoebe and Paige,' said Leo. 'Phoebe is at the mausoleum. Paige is in the middle of orbing, but I cannot tell where she is orbing to.'

'Then we go to the mausoleum and warn Phoebe about the invisible demon first,' said Piper.

Leo looked at Piper. 'Why do you think Phoebe went to the mausoleum?'

Piper shrugged. 'Maybe she decided to look for Prue there. The only person I gave instructions on where to look was Paige, because I knew that one of us should definitely check Prue's house. Phoebe could have decided to go anywhere. Apparently, she chose the mausoleum.'

Leo accepted Piper's explanation as plausible. He took Piper's hand and orbed them to the mausoleum.

'Phoebe?' Piper said, as soon as she and Leo had appeared in the mausoleum.

Piper and Leo heard a rush of clothes being moved around from behind the coffin. Whoever was behind it was out of their view.

Suddenly, Phoebe stood up from behind the coffin. Her hair was slightly messy and she had put her top back on in such a rush that she had managed to put it on backwards. Two seconds later, Cole also stood up from behind the coffin. He also had messy hair, and his buttoned shirt was still open – so Piper and Leo could see his chest – as he must have also put his shirt back on in a rush. Cole was doing the buckle of his belt up on his trousers.

Piper and Leo looked from Phoebe to Cole.

'Phoebe, we are supposed to be looking for Prue,' said Piper slowly, full of embarrassment at having caught Phoebe and Cole in the act. 'We don't have time for taking such breaks as this.'

'Piper, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. We had just been attacked by a demon and chased by cops. The adrenaline got to us,' said Phoebe, blushing.

Phoebe and Cole walked around from behind the coffin, luckily fully dressed now, so as they could stand directly in front of Piper and Leo.

'So, are the two of you here to take us to Prue?' said Cole. 'According to your plan earlier, whoever finds Prue calls Leo, then Leo goes around collecting everyone else. So if the four of us are here, does that mean Paige is with Prue?'

Leo shook his head. 'We did not come about that.'

'Did you see the demon that attacked you two?' asked Piper.

Phoebe and Cole shook their heads.

'We only saw the fireball,' said Cole. 'The demon must have shimmered out fast.'

'Or he is invisible,' suggest Phoebe. 'So why did you want to find us? I thought we are meant to be searching for Prue.'

Piper laughed. 'Phoebe, you cannot exactly talk. Apparently you were on a break from that task.'

Phoebe tried to tidy her hair up a little.

'We came here because a demon attacked us with an enchanted fireball. We did not see the demon,' said Leo. 'However, we believe the Source has sent an upper-level demon after us to distract us from finding Prue.'

'The Source is far too committed to having Shax kill Prue,' said Phoebe.

'He won't succeed,' said Piper. 'We came here to warn you about the demon. If you come across it again while searching for Prue, try to vanquish it. We will do the same.'

'So we are working in pairs now?' asked Phoebe.

'You obviously did not need our permission for that,' said Piper, looking from Phoebe to Cole.

'Neither did you,' said Phoebe, looking from Piper to Leo.

'We really should go and find Paige to warn her now,' said Leo.

Piper nodded. Piper turned around and immediately threw her hands up in the air. A fireball had flown in through a vent in the wall of the mausoleum and had been headed at them. Piper had frozen it.

Cole conjured an energy ball and threw it at the fireball. The collision caused a small bang. The mausoleum filled with smoke. Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Cole ran out of the mausoleum. They looked around the graveyard to see if they could spot the perpetrator.

Piper flicked her hands up. Leo and Cole froze.

'Piper! Why did you freeze Leo and Cole?' said Phoebe.

'If the demon is invisible and he was within range, then I may have frozen him too,' explained Piper.

'So are you suggesting that we wander around a dark graveyard feeling around for an invisible frozen demon?' asked Phoebe.

'We have done stranger things,' said Piper.

* * *

Paige had orbed Prue, Petey, and herself into the park. Paige immediately slumped onto the grass.

The area of the park that they were in was quiet as it was now getting late into the evening. However, there were street lamps so Prue and Paige could see their surroundings.

Prue placed Petey on the park bench which was next to where Paige had dropped to the floor. With her hands free, Prue rubbed her back. It was extremely painful. Paige noticed Prue hiss in pain. Paige looked at Prue's back. Her eyes widened.

'Er, Prue, the back of your top is covered in blood,' said Paige.

'Probably my blood,' Prue pointed out.

'Did Shax hurt you?' said Paige.

'It is only a small cut,' said Prue. 'I will be fine.'

'Er, Prue, the amount of blood seeping through the back of your top suggests otherwise,' said Paige. 'I can try to heal you a little. I won't be able to heal you fully, but I can partially heal you.'

'I will be fine. Besides, you are injured too. Far worse than me by the looks of it. You cannot expend energy on me.' Prue suddenly noticed how pale Paige looked. 'Are you okay, Paige?' said Prue. Prue looked worried. She had never seen Paige like this before.

Paige tried to smile. 'Don't worry about me. I am fine.'

'Paige, the reason that excuse worked with me is because I am standing upright and able to move,' said Prue. 'The reason that excuse does not work with you is because you are slumped on the ground, hardly willing to move, and obviously in a lot of pain.'

'Prue, I am fine,' said Paige weakly.

'Paige, you are not fine,' said Prue.

'I am fine,' said Paige stubbornly.

'Paige, you said you can heal. Heal yourself, please,' said Prue. 'I am worried about you.'

'My healing powers will not work on myself,' said Paige.

'How about you call Leo?' said Prue.

'Le –' Paige stopped.

'Aren't you going to call him?' said Prue. 'You need to be healed, Paige. I want you to be well.'

'I was wondering something. Why did you leave P3? You know we can help you, but you left,' said Paige.

'Paige, you are hurt! We can discuss that later, but first you have to call Leo, okay?' said Prue.

'No,' said Paige, shaking her head. 'I need you to answer me first.'

Prue sighed. She knew that Paige was not going to like Prue's reasons for leaving. However, Prue had to tell Paige if that was the only way that Paige was going to call Leo. 'I was trying to clear my head. Think up a way to save Petey and now I know what has to be done. I have to focus on finding the Source. I have to vanquish him. I have to save Petey. Once you are healed, you can take me to the underworld.'

'No, Prue,' said Paige. 'We need to get Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Cole to come here. Our main aim is to vanquish Shax, to save you.'

'I agree with getting Leo to come here, as he needs to heal you,' said Prue. 'However, you are wrong when it comes to your priorities. Your priority should be Petey, not me!'

'Prue, as soon as we have vanquished Shax, we can focus on waking Petey up,' said Paige, ignoring the part about calling for Leo.

'I was wrong the other week when I said that you were like a caring mother,' said Prue spitefully. 'You don't seem to understand that the child always comes first.'

Paige was offended and found some energy to speak up over her pain. 'With the situations that I have had over the past three years, I think I know all about prioritising family! I fight demons with my sisters on a daily basis! You cannot suggest that I don't care about family!'

'If you care about family so much then you should be able to tell that it is more important that Petey is saved as he is my son!' shouted Prue.

Paige wanted to react. She wanted to say 'Well, you are my sister!' but she knew that Piper was right. If it came to light that the Source had been wrong about Prue, then it was probably best that they did not mention that fact to Prue. However, Paige did believe that Prue was their sister.

'Prue, I will call for Leo, but not because he needs to heal me. I will call for him so as he can get the others to come here. Then we can decide on a plan, okay?' said Paige.

Prue saw the sincerity in Paige's eyes and heard it in her tone. Prue calmed down, her anger dissipating.

'You really are all about working together as a family, aren't you?' said Prue softly. 'I am sorry for what I just said. I did not mean it, okay? I just… Petey… He's…'

'Prue, I understand, and I want you to know that we will do everything possible for Petey, but saving you is as important to us as saving Petey,' said Paige.

Prue helped Paige to her feet and sat her down on the park bench next to Petey. Prue sat on the remaining space on the park bench.

'I cannot believe how close your family is,' said Prue.

Paige smiled. 'Magic and demon hunting does that to a family, I guess.'

'I never had a family of my own and Andy's parents were divorced, so I have never really believed that a working family exists,' said Prue.

'How can you say that, Prue?' said Paige. 'You, Andy, and Petey are a happy family.'

'Yes, but I always believed that something was going to go wrong one day. I never voiced that concern to Andy, but my world is already upside-down, which just confirms my fears,' said Prue.

'Prue? What do you mean? Your family is fine,' said Paige.

Prue raised her eyebrows. 'Paige, I am currently worrying about the idea of going home and telling Andy that I am a witch. Plus my son is in a magically induced coma. I would not call that a happy family.'

'Prue, everything will be fine. We will vanquish Shax. We will wake Petey up. Andy will accept you for who you are and after that we expect to see you, Andy, and Petey on a daily basis.'

Prue smiled. 'I assume you also included not dying and making everyone forget about the exposure of magic somewhere within your 'everything will be fine' idea.'

Paige smiled.

'I always wanted to have a sister to talk to about my fears and concerns,' said Prue. 'You are lucky to have Piper and Phoebe.'

Paige really wanted to say something at that moment in time. She wanted to tell Prue that she did have sisters. Prue had Piper, Phoebe, and Paige.

In an attempt to stop herself from blurting it out, Paige said, 'I hate being the youngest, though, with Piper and Phoebe always looking at me as the baby of the family. I used to have the desire to be the eldest.'

'Really?' said Prue. 'Piper seems to be doing a good job of being the eldest sibling. It looks extremely stressful considering she has responsibility over Phoebe and your safety.'

'Back when I wanted to be the eldest, I had totally forgotten about the responsibility part,' said Paige. 'These days I would just rather be the middle than the eldest or youngest. Obviously that would never happen…'

Prue smiled and said as a joke, 'Unless you have a sister you never knew about.'

Paige was surprised at this comment. At first she thought that maybe Prue knew that she was their sister. Then Paige realised Prue had said it as a joke. Paige decided to start throwing in subtle hints that Prue could be their sister. There was no way Piper could moan at Paige for doing that.

'If I had a sister I never knew about, they would probably be the eldest,' said Paige.

'What makes you think that?' asked Prue.

'Hmm… Nothing. Just a gut feeling,' said Paige.

Paige took a staggered breath as the pain in her shoulder increased.

'Please, Paige, call for Leo,' said Prue. 'You need healing.'

Paige finally gave in. 'Okay.' She took a deep breath before shouting, 'Leo!'

Nothing happened.

'Leo!' Paige repeated.

Shouting his name was taking any remaining energy out of Paige. However, Leo was still not showing up.

'How often does he not answer your calls?' asked Prue.

'Well, he has other charges…' said Paige. 'Or Piper or Phoebe could be in a worse situation than me.'

Paige's eyelids felt heavy. She suddenly felt very dizzy. She was pretty sure that the pain was about to cause her to lose consciousness. Prue noticed this sudden change in Paige.

'Paige, please stay awake,' said Prue. 'I need you to stay awake for me, okay?'

Paige's eyes had closed. Prue grabbed Paige's hand and squeezed it. Paige opened her eyes. She looked at Prue.

'Paige, stay awake, okay? I need you to keep calling for Leo. At least every minute until he turns up,' said Prue.

'I don't know if I… can stay… awake…' muttered Paige.

'You have to stay awake, because er…' Prue tried to think of a way to get Paige talking, to try to take Paige's mind off her pain, while keeping her conscious. 'So, if magic is real, then you may want to be careful what you wish for. For all you know, wishing to be the eldest could come true if there are genies about.'

Paige's injury had caused her to go very pale. Therefore, Prue could easily tell that Paige had blushed when Prue said this.

'I could have done with that advice last year,' mumbled Paige.

'I was only joking about genies. Are you saying they are real?' said Prue, shocked.

Paige nodded slowly.

'Hang on. You actually made a wish? You had three wishes?' said Prue in awe.

'Well, kind of,' said Paige weakly. 'The story is a little complicated.'

'And you wished that you were the eldest sister?' said Prue.

Paige nodded.

'Do you not like being the youngest?' asked Prue.

Paige sighed. 'Sometimes it is annoying, but that experience made me appreciate being the youngest…' Paige coughed a little. 'I feel so tired…'

'Paige, I need you to stay awake. Keep calling for Leo until he shows up,' said Prue.

'I don't know... if I can…' mumbled Paige.

'Paige, I need you to stay alert,' said Prue.

'Leo!' said Paige weakly.

Prue looked around to see if Leo had appeared yet, but he still had not orbed in.

'Paige, try calling again,' said Prue.

Paige did not reply. Prue looked back down at Paige. Paige had lost consciousness.

* * *

**A/N:** The reason why Leo is not answering Paige's calls is because Piper has forgotten to unfreeze him while she and Phoebe look for the frozen invisible demon in the graveyard. Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** In this chapter, Prue gets an extremely fast power development, but I thought this was the perfect time for her to get this specific power.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Prue now had an unconscious Petey to one side of her and an unconscious Paige to the other side of her. The only difference between the two was that Paige's cause of unconsciousness could be fatal if she was not treated in time.

'Leo!' Prue shouted. 'Leo!'

Prue knew that it was completely useless for her to try to call for Leo, because from what the sisters had told her, Leo could only hear the call of his charges, and Prue was not one of them.

'Leo! Paige is in trouble!' shouted Prue in vain.

Where was Leo? Was he with the other sisters? Prue wished she could find them, but she could not find them without leaving Paige and Petey. If only she could be in two places at once.

Prue felt her body slump forward.

* * *

'Found him!' shouted Phoebe, who was across the graveyard from Piper.

Piper ran over to Phoebe.

'Where is he?' said Piper.

Phoebe pushed her hand out into the air until it came to a stop against something invisible but solid. 'Here. Do you think you can blow him up?'

'I don't know if I can get that power to work right now, and I don't want to chance unfreezing him,' said Piper. 'Can you think up a vanquishing spell?'

'We don't even know what this demon is,' said Phoebe. 'And what if it requires the Power of Three?'

Piper frowned. 'Why does everything have to be so complicated?'

An extremely puzzled Prue appeared beside Piper and Phoebe.

'How did I get here?' asked Prue.

'That's funny. I was going to ask the same thing,' said Phoebe.

'Did you two summon me?' asked Prue.

'No,' said Piper cautiously, unsure as to whether the demon they had captured was actually trying to trick them with a fake Prue.

'Forget about me,' said Prue. 'Paige is in trouble. She is unconscious, and possibly dying. I have somehow managed to leave her and Petey behind and come here, but that does not matter right now. All that matters is that Leo gets to Paige!'

Piper read the urgency in Prue's voice, and let her guard down, believing that this really was Prue standing in front of her.

'Well, Leo should have gone to her – Oh crap,' said Phoebe, as she looked over at Leo and Cole. 'Piper, you never unfroze them!'

'Well, I could not exactly unfreeze them in case I unfroze the invisible demon too!' said Piper.

'Paige is in trouble!' said Prue and Phoebe at once.

Prue suddenly went pale.

'What's wrong?' asked Phoebe.

'I don't know,' said Prue. 'I think something is coming…'

'What do you mean –' Piper was interrupted by Shax appearing in front of them.

Shax sent a blast of energy in their direction. The blast hit the invisible frozen demon which had blocked their path. Phoebe stuck her hand out in front of her. The invisible demon no longer blocked their path. Shax had accidentally killed it.

'Well, I think that solves our 'how to vanquish the invisible frozen demon' problem,' said Phoebe.

'Yes, but we have a new problem, Pheebs,' said Piper. 'Shax is here, and we have the Power of Three spell, but no Power of Three as Paige is not here.'

Piper was freezing each blast of energy that Shax sent their way, but his attacks were getting more and more difficult to fend off.

'Unless the Source was right,' said Phoebe smiling. Phoebe moved between Prue and Piper. Phoebe held up the spell in front of her. 'Prue, you have to read this with the two of us.'

'Why?' asked Prue. 'I thought the Power of Three existed between you, Piper, and Paige.'

'Trust me,' said Phoebe.

Before Prue could protest, Phoebe began to recite the vanquishing spell. Piper rolled her eyes, murmuring 'It won't work'. Phoebe nudged Piper, so Piper shrugged and decided to join in to prove to Phoebe that it would not work. Prue took a deep breath and joined in too:

'_Is a demon of evil winds that blows, _

_That which forms below._

_No longer may you dwell,_

_Death takes you with this spell_.'

Shax burst into flames before disappearing for good.

Prue stared at where Shax had previously been standing in shock. Piper was staring at Prue, unable to process the idea that Prue could really be her sister. Phoebe also stared at Prue. However, Phoebe was grinning.

'Prue! You are one of us!' shouted Phoebe.

'One of you? What do you mean?' asked Prue. 'I thought we already agreed I was a witch…'

'No, no! I mean that you are –' Phoebe began, but Piper interrupted her.

'We have to save Paige, remember?' said Piper.

Prue and Phoebe turned to Piper. Piper had a serious expression on her face.

'Shax may be gone, but Paige is hurt, and the Source is probably still after us, _and_ magic is still exposed,' said Piper. 'We don't have time to celebrate yet.'

Piper flicked her hands towards Leo and Cole. They unfroze. They noticed Prue, Piper, and Phoebe standing across the graveyard. Leo orbed over to them. Cole shimmered over to them.

'Did you freeze us, Piper?' asked Leo.

'No time for chit-chat, Leo. Paige is in trouble. Orb Prue, Piper, and me to her now,' said Phoebe.

'Prue?' said Leo.

'Yes Prue…' Phoebe turned to look at Prue, just to notice that she had vanished. 'Er, Piper, where did Prue go?'

'I have a feeling we will find her with Paige,' said Piper.

Leo sensed for Paige. He took Piper and Phoebe's hands, and orbed with them to the park.

Cole did not follow.

When Leo, Piper, and Phoebe arrived at the park, they spotted Prue and Paige straight away. Prue directed Leo straight over to Paige. Leo began healing Paige.

'Prue, how did you get from the graveyard to here?' Phoebe asked Prue.

'I don't know,' said Prue. 'I was here, and then I was suddenly at the graveyard talking to you two and then we vanquished Shax, and then I was suddenly back here again. I don't know why or how.'

Paige and Leo approached Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe smiled at Paige.

'Feeling better?' Prue asked Paige.

'Much better,' smiled Paige. 'You should get your back healed now.'

'I will be alright,' said Prue.

'Your back?' said Piper. Then Piper saw Prue's blood soaked top and said 'Leo!'

Leo nodded and took Prue over to the bench to heal her. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were now standing together, far enough from Prue and Leo to have a private conversation.

'How many times are we going to have this conversation?' asked Phoebe.

'What conversation?' asked Paige.

'Well, Prue just helped us complete a Power of Three spell to vanquish Shax,' explained Phoebe.

'So she _must_ be our sister!' gasped Paige. 'There is all the proof we need!'

Phoebe and Paige looked at Piper for confirmation. Piper shrugged.

'I don't know… Okay? We still need to get actual confirmation from Mum,' said Piper. 'Maybe Shax did not need the Power of Three to defeat him. Maybe he just needed three witches to recite the spell.'

'Piper,' said Phoebe.

'No, Pheebs, no,' said Piper. 'Nothing is going to convince me that that woman over there is our…'

Piper trailed off as Prue – who was holding Petey – and Leo approached them.

'What are we discussing?' asked Leo.

'Er, we were discussing where Cole has gotten to,' lied Piper, not wanting Prue to hear her sisters' theories.

Phoebe frowned, suddenly realising Cole was absent. 'Cole is gone again!'

'Relax, Pheebs, Cole can look after himself,' said Paige.

'Yes, but he keeps going off and getting himself into trouble,' groaned Phoebe.

'Can we forget about him and discuss how we are going to vanquish the Source?' said Prue.

Piper and Paige nodded. Piper was happy to be far away from the sister topic. Paige was happy to avoid any topic surrounding Cole. Phoebe grumbled, unhappy that both topics were now being forgotten about.

'The Source, right. Paige, do we still have potions at the manor which are capable of vanquishing the Source?' asked Piper.

'Yes, but we cannot get to the manor without being spotted by the police,' said Paige.

'Hmm… We still have to deal with them,' said Piper. 'Why can our jobs never be easy?'

'Paige, can you use your power to call for these potions?' asked Prue.

'Well, I know what the vials look like, and I know where in the manor they are…' said Paige. 'Yes, yes, I think I can.'

'Try it then,' said Prue. 'We should try and get the Source up here. Fight him on our own turf.' Prue turned to Leo. 'Leo, do you think you can orb us somewhere enclosed and empty of the public? We will summon the Source to there and use the potions, and you three can try your Power of Three spell. Good plan?'

Phoebe, Paige, and Leo nodded in agreement. It was now or never. They had to vanquish the Source. Piper frowned, annoyed that Prue was practically calling the shots already.

Paige held her hand out and said, 'Vanquishing potions.' Three vanquishing potions appeared in Paige's hands in a flurry of orbs. Paige gave one of the vials to Piper, one to Phoebe, and kept the third one.

'Sorry, Prue, we only made up three,' said Paige.

'No problem,' said Prue. 'That gives us three shots at vanquishing the Source.'

Prue looked down at Petey and sighed.

'Leo, do you think you could very quickly orb Petey to Andy at home?' asked Prue.

Leo nodded. He took Petey from Prue. 'Let's hope there are no police officers at your house.' Leo orbed away with Petey.

A few minutes later, Leo orbed back, empty handed.

'You gave him to Andy?' asked Prue.

'Yes, and Andy told me to tell you that he loves you, and he wants you back in one piece,' said Leo.

'You told him what we are about to do?' asked Prue.

'Yes, and he told me that he was going to come with,' said Leo.

'He can't! It is not safe!' said Prue.

'Don't worry,' said Leo. 'Of course I would not let him. I orbed out before he had the chance to threaten me more about joining the mission.'

'Good,' smiled Prue. 'At least I know that both Andy and Petey are safe. Now all we have to do is vanquish the Source in order to bring Petey back to consciousness.'

'Where are we going?' asked Paige.

'I was thinking we could try the top of the Golden Gate Bridge,' said Leo. 'It is not enclosed, but it is high enough up that people should not notice. I can cloak us from public view.'

Phoebe laughed. 'And if worse comes to worse, and the potions do not work, we can try pushing the Source off the bridge.'

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige linked hands. Paige orbed them to the bridge. Leo took Piper's hand.

'Is everything okay, Piper?' asked Leo.

'Yes,' lied Piper. 'Now orb us there. I need to help my sisters and Prue.'

'Don't you mean your sisters?' asked Leo.

'What? You don't think I should help Prue too?' asked Piper.

'Piper, you know what I mean, she is your –'

'Don't say it! Just orb!' said Piper irritably.

Leo orbed Piper to the bridge.

'What took you so long?' laughed Paige, when Piper and Leo appeared.

'Nothing,' sighed Piper.

Leo grimaced. 'The Elders are calling me. Call me if you need my help, otherwise good luck.' Leo orbed out.

'Do you three know how to summon the Source?' asked Prue.

'Over the past year we have been figuring out a spell for that,' said Phoebe. 'We have altered the vanquishing spell in order to make it into a summoning spell. Hopefully it will be effective.'

'So you don't know if it will work?' asked Prue.

'Don't be pessimistic. That is Piper's job,' laughed Paige.

'We are pretty sure that our vanquishing spell and potions will work,' said Piper. 'The summoning spell is the uncertain part.'

'Well, give it a shot,' said Prue.

Piper glared at Prue. 'I know.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige linked hands. They took a deep breath.

'You can do this,' encouraged Prue.

'Prue, join hands with us,' suggested Paige. 'We could always do with a fourth witch to add to the strength of the spell.'

Phoebe nodded in agreement.

Prue went to take Piper's hand. Piper reluctantly let Prue take her hand. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige ignored Piper's coldness. Now was not the time to discuss what was up with Piper. They had to focus on summoning the Source. As if Prue already knew the words, she was able to follow along in reciting them with the other three:

'_Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda,_

_Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace._

_Halliwell Witches stand strong beside us,_

_Bring to us this evil from time and space._'

The wind around the four of them picked up.

'Prudence? You have an ancestor called Prudence?' said Prue.

'Yeah, we do, which is probably who you were named af –' Phoebe was interrupted as a figure appeared in front of them.

In front of them, the Source appeared. Phoebe and Paige were too shocked at how easily their summoning spell had worked to act. However, Piper was ready to act. So was Prue. Piper threw her potion, and before the Source could deflect it away from himself Prue telekinetically sent the potion in the Source's direction.

Piper began to recite the vanquishing spell: '_Prudence, Penelope._'

Prue thought she could see where it was going – as they were reciting the same names used in the summoning spell – and continued with: '_Patricia, Melinda._'

Prue and Piper looked towards Phoebe and Paige.

Phoebe gulped and continued, '_Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace._'

Paige continued, '_Halliwell Witches stand strong beside us._'

All together the four of them concluded with '_Vanquish this evil from time and space._'

The Source screamed and began to burn. Soon he disappeared.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged looks.

'It surely could not have been _that_ easy to vanquish _the_ _Source_?!' said Phoebe in shock.

'With the Power of Four…' began Paige.

'No!' said Piper.

'What?' said Paige. 'Piper, you have been so grouchy ever since Leo healed me! You told me what happened at the graveyard – was what happened not a good thing?'

'Paige, you don't understand!' shouted Piper.

'I think I know what this is…' said Phoebe.

Prue did not say anything. She had a feeling this had something to do with her, but she did not want to get into the middle of a sibling argument when she was not one of the siblings. She looked from Paige to Phoebe to Piper, waiting for one of them to continue.

'What is it, Piper?' asked Paige. 'Tell me!'

'Paige, I think that Piper is…' Phoebe trailed off. She was looking at Piper, trying to make eye contact.

Piper was refusing to look at Phoebe or Paige. Piper ignored her sisters and began calling for Leo. 'Leo! Leo! Get down here now!'

'Piper, talk to us,' said Paige.

'There is nothing to talk about,' said Piper.

'Yes, there is!' shouted Phoebe. 'Piper, Prue is our sister and she should know it!'

'What?' said Prue, completely taken aback by this revelation.

'She is not our sister!' shouted Piper.

* * *

**A/N:** Tension on the Golden Gate Bridge. I hope Piper's bitterness is reasonable at the moment. It will be explained over the next few chapters, and it will be sorted before the end of the story. I realised I also had the main two threats vanquished in this one chapter, but they were getting on my nerves, and I want to try and focus on the sisters' relationships and Prue and Andy's relationship and sorting out the magic exposure from now on. Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews! They are appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Phoebe and Paige stared at Piper. They could not believe what Piper had just said.

'Piper, after all the evidence: The Source saying that it was so, Prue's powers, the Power of Three vanquishing spell working on Shax with Prue's presence as part of the Power of Three…' began Phoebe.

'And our spell to vanquish the Source being strong enough, because the four of us said it together, almost like we have collaborated to make a Power of Four…' continued Paige.

'After all of that, how can you still deny that Prue is our sister?' concluded Phoebe.

Piper did not reply. She stared at Prue, Phoebe, and Paige. Tears were threatening to drop from Piper's eyes. However, she did not want to look weak in front of her two younger sisters and Prue.

Leo finally appeared beside Piper.

'Piper, you called?' said Leo.

'Leo, take me home,' said Piper bitterly, trying to hold back the tears.

'Piper? What's wrong?' asked Leo. He could sense the tension on the bridge.

'Take me home, please,' said Piper.

'We cannot go home, Piper,' said Leo. 'Not yet. Not until the exposure mess is sorted.'

'Then take me anywhere that is not here,' said Piper. 'Somewhere far away from those three.'

Leo took Piper's hand and orbed her out of there. Although he knew that Piper would need to sort things out with her sisters, she probably needed time to calm down first, and Leo could use the time to console her.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged looks, unsure of what to do. Should Paige orb them to where ever Leo had gone? Phoebe and Paige had their backs to Prue so did not notice Prue's expression. Prue was getting impatient, and decided that now was her chance to start asking questions.

'Phoebe, what did you mean when you said that I was your sister?' asked Prue.

Phoebe and Paige turned around to face Prue.

'Er…' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe,' said Prue. 'What did you mean?'

'We think you could be our sister,' said Paige.

'You _think_?' said Prue.

'Well, the Source told us that you were the eldest Charmed One…' said Phoebe.

'And you just vanquished the Source because he is evil, yet you took his word?' said Prue, unconvinced.

'We did not believe what he said, until the Power of Three spell worked when you said it with us,' said Phoebe.

'Correction,' said Prue. 'Paige was not there, when that happened. Piper obviously does not believe this to be true. So that leaves you, Phoebe, as the only one who believes this to be true.'

'No, because I know it is true too,' said Paige. 'Our Power of Three spell would never have worked so easily on the Source. Therefore, we must have tapped into something stronger… the Power of Four…'

'Are you saying that you don't believe us?' asked Phoebe.

'I am going by your word that I am your sister,' said Prue. 'It is a bit out of the blue. A bit random. I still need more proof. I need time…'

'It would explain the same last name thing,' said Phoebe.

Prue shook her head. 'It is a common last name, remember?'

* * *

'Piper, speak to me, please,' said Leo.

Leo had orbed Piper to the safety of an empty warehouse. Piper was sitting down on the floor, her back up against the wall, she was hugging her knees. Piper was staring at the opposite wall. Leo sat beside her. He had been trying to get her to speak ever since they had arrived.

'Piper, please…' said Leo.

Leo took Piper's hand. Piper turned to Leo.

'Why can you not accept that Prue may be your..?' began Leo.

'What did the Elders want you up there for?' Piper asked quietly, refusing to answer Leo's question.

Leo sighed. 'They wanted me out of the way while the four of you vanquished the Source.'

'You mean they actually believe Prue is a Charmed One..?' said Piper.

'… And they believe that she really is your sister,' said Leo.

Piper shook her head. 'Leo, she cannot be my sister.'

'Why not?' asked Leo. 'Piper?'

'Firstly, I have always been the eldest,' said Piper. '_Always_. Prue cannot just waltz in here and take my role.'

'You feel like you are being replaced?' said Leo.

Piper nodded silently. 'If Prue really is my sister, what does that make me? I would no longer be the eldest, the sister that Phoebe and Paige look up to, because they will be too busy listening to Prue…'

'Piper, come here,' said Leo, hugging his wife. 'Phoebe and Paige will always admire you. However, you all need to get to know Prue, and allow Prue to find her place. Remember that this adjustment – the idea that she has sisters – will be just as tough on her as the idea that you have an older sister is on you.'

Piper sighed. 'I need time…'

Leo nodded.

'If Prue is my sister… That makes Petey my nephew… That makes me an aunt…' said Piper quietly.

Leo smiled. 'And I am an uncle.'

'Shall we go and see if our nephew is awake?' asked Piper.

Leo stood up and helped Piper to her feet. Leo orbed them to Andy's house.

* * *

Andy had been sitting in the nursery, keeping his eye on the unconscious Petey in the cot. All of a sudden, Petey glowed and then he opened his eyes, sitting up.

'Petey!' said Andy, smiling.

'Daddy!' laughed Petey, unaware that anything had happened.

Petey began to float into the air. Andy was shocked. He took Petey in his arms and sat down on a chair, with Petey on his lap.

'Glad to see you awake,' said Andy. 'I hope that means your mother is safe too.'

'Where is mummy?' asked Petey.

Andy sighed. 'Somewhere.'

'Where?' asked Petey.

'I don't know, but I want to see her,' said Andy.

Andy stood up and placed Petey on the chair. Petey jumped off the chair and began playing with some toys. Andy looked out of the window, which was still broken from the fireball. The tree outside was no longer on fire, but now lacked leaves. There was still one police car stationed outside the house. The police were still keeping look out for Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, and Cole. Andy was not going to turn them over to the police if they popped around to the house though. Although the magic still freaked him out, he knew they were good people.

'Andy.'

Andy jumped in surprise. He turned around to see Cole standing in front of him.

'I did not hear you come in,' said Andy. 'Do you do that blue thing that I have seen Paige and Leo do?'

'Orbing? No,' chuckled Cole. 'I have a much more subtle form of teleportation.'

'Okay. I don't need any more magical details than that,' said Andy. 'Why are you here? Are the girls safe? Is Prue safe?'

Cole's smile disappeared. 'I have not seen them, however I can sense that the Source – the evil they were after – has definitely been vanquished.'

'Can you take me to Prue?' asked Andy.

'You have a kid to look after,' said Cole. Cole smiled at Petey, and added, 'How are you doing, Petey?'

'Co!' said Petey.

Cole chuckled. Petey was still getting his name wrong, but at least he recognised him.

'Look, Cole, I need to see my wife,' said Andy. 'You said you can teleport, so take me to her.'

'Daddy, are you going to leave me here?' asked Petey.

Andy looked at Petey, and then back at Cole. 'Let's talk in the corridor.'

Andy ushered Cole into the corridor and shut the nursery door behind him.

'I cannot take you to Prue, leaving Petey by himself here,' said Cole.

'I know, but… I have to see Prue, and it might not be safe to take Petey with me,' said Andy.

'Andy, it makes no… Do you hear talking?' said Cole.

Andy and Cole exchanged looks. Sure enough, they could hear two people speaking from within the nursery. The nursery that they had left Petey alone in only a minute before now sounded like it was occupied by two adults: a man and a woman.

Andy was about to rush into the nursery to attack the intruders, but Cole stopped him. Cole was listening at the door.

'I think that I can hear Piper and Leo,' whispered Cole.

Andy relaxed a little. He was about to open the door, but Cole stopped him again.

'Why will you not let me go in there?' Andy whispered to Cole.

'This is your ticket out of here,' said Cole quietly. 'I will shimmer you to see Prue. Piper and Leo will be forced to stay here when they realise no one else is home.'

Andy sighed, torn between the desire to see his wife and the rudeness of dumping babysitting duty on Piper and Leo. However, he really wanted to see Prue.

'Okay,' whispered Andy. 'Teleport me – Hang on, did you say shimmer? What is that?'

Cole smiled. He put his hand on Andy's shoulder and shimmered them out of the house.

In the nursery, Piper and Leo were standing in the corner of the room, watching Petey play with his toys.

'He seems absolutely healthy to me,' said Leo. 'Looks like the Source's enchantment had no adverse effects on him.'

Piper smiled. 'Good. We don't want our nephew to be hurt.'

'Sounds weird saying that, doesn't it?' said Leo.

Piper nodded. Petey looked over at Piper and Leo.

'Continue playing with your toys, Petey,' said Piper. 'Don't worry about us.'

'Did you say I am your nephew?' asked Petey.

'Wow, he definitely has the Halliwell hearing,' chuckled Leo.

Piper glared at Leo, before looking back at Petey.

'Yes, Petey,' said Piper. 'I did say that. I am your aunt Piper and this is your uncle Leo. Whoa, that is strange to say.'

'Do I have any cousins?' asked Petey.

Piper and Leo exchanged looks.

'Not at the moment,' said Leo.

'You may get some cousins some day,' said Piper, squeezing Leo's hand.

Leo smiled. 'Some day… Hopefully…'

'Good, because I want a big family,' said Petey.

Leo sighed. 'I think it is time that you go and speak to your sisters, Piper.'

Piper sighed. 'I don't know if I can face Prue.'

'You are facing her son right now, able to accept that you are his aunt,' said Leo.

'Yes, but accepting Petey as my nephew does not take away my role as eldest sister,' said Piper. 'Accepting Prue as my older sister is what scares me.'

'Piper, you have to speak to your sisters,' said Leo.

Piper nodded. 'Let's go.'

Leo closed his eyes, about to orb, but then frowned.

'What's wrong? Can you not orb?' asked Piper worriedly.

'No. When I orbed here, I could sense Andy and one other person in the house. Now, I can only sense you and Petey,' said Leo.

'You mean Andy left Petey alone in the house?' said Piper, shocked that Andy would do such a thing.

'Maybe he heard that we were here, and decided to take that as a chance to go and find Prue…' suggested Leo.

'He knew that we would not be willing to leave Petey home alone…' said Piper.

Leo nodded.

'Oh well, looks like speaking to Prue, Phoebe, and Paige will have to wait,' said Piper, grinning.

* * *

Prue had quickly dismissed the sister connection theory in an attempt to make Phoebe and Paige focus on coming up with a plan to clear their names. They needed the police to forget all about magic somehow.

'So if we follow my plan, we should be able to sort this all out,' concluded Prue.

'Your plan sounds good, sis,' said Phoebe.

'Don't call me that,' said Prue.

'You are as bad as Piper,' said Paige. 'You are our sister.'

'Piper seems to be the only one with sense,' said Prue. 'You do not have enough to go on to make such an assumption.'

'Do you not want to be one of us?' asked Paige.

Prue sighed. 'Paige, it is not that. What I mean is that… I don't know what I mean… It is not something that I can just believe…'

'Prue, you have to believe it, because it is true,' said Phoebe.

'How do you know it is true?' asked Prue.

'We know. That's why,' said Phoebe resolutely.

Cole and Andy shimmered in front of them. Phoebe jumped to her feet and hugged Cole. Prue stared at Andy.

Phoebe suddenly frowned at Cole. 'Where did you go before?'

'I sensed demonic bounty hunters on my trail, so I had to get them off my scent,' said Cole. 'Then I sensed that the Source was no longer around – I realised you had vanquished him – so I went to check on Petey. Then I brought Andy here with me.'

Phoebe kissed Cole, happy with his explanation and glad that he was in one piece.

'Andy,' said Prue.

'Prue,' said Andy, smiling.

Prue embraced Andy.

'What? No pointy hat, broomsticks, or cat?' chuckled Andy.

Prue smiled. 'So you can accept me for what I am?'

'Of course, Prue, because I love you,' said Andy.

'Is Petey okay?' asked Prue.

'Petey is awake and one hundred percent well,' said Andy.

'Where is he?' asked Prue.

'I left him with Piper and Leo, so as I could come to see you,' said Andy.

Paige had been listening and interrupted their conversation. 'Piper and Leo are at your house?'

Andy nodded. 'I don't know why they went there, but they did. Cole and I took that as a chance to leave Petey with responsible adults, so as I could come here.'

'We are going to need Piper for our plan,' said Prue.

Phoebe and Cole approached Prue, Paige, and Andy.

'What plan?' asked Cole.

'We have a plan to undo the exposure of magic, but we need Piper's help,' said Phoebe.

'We cannot call for Leo and ask him to bring Piper, as we don't want to risk leaving Petey by himself,' said Paige.

'So one of us goes and gets Piper, and brings her here without Leo,' said Cole.

'That sounds like we are taking advantage of Leo,' said Phoebe.

'Leo will understand,' said Cole.

Phoebe and Paige sighed, but reluctantly agreed.

Cole shimmered into the living room of Prue and Andy's house. Cole threw an energy ball at a glass vase, causing it to smash.

* * *

Piper and Leo were still in the nursery with Petey. Piper had managed to get Petey to fall asleep. For the past five minutes, Piper and Leo had been discussing quietly their own future… Did they ever want to start a family of their own?

This conversation was interrupted by the sound of something smashing downstairs. Piper and Leo exchanged nervous looks.

'Demon?' whispered Piper.

'Could be,' said Leo. 'The underworld will be in chaos without the Source. Who knows how many will be after the eldest child of the eldest Charmed One.'

'You stay here with Petey,' said Piper. 'I will go downstairs and check.'

Leo was unwilling to let Piper be the one to walk into danger, but he knew it was useless to argue.

Piper slowly and quietly went downstairs. As she turned the corner into the living room, she flicked her hands up in order to freeze the room. Cole froze before Piper noticed that it was him. Piper quickly unfroze Cole.

'Cole? What are you doing here?' asked Piper.

'Relieving you of day care duty,' said Cole, smirking.

Piper rolled her eyes. 'There is no way Leo and I will leave you in charge of looking after Petey.'

Cole shook his head. 'I never said Leo was going anywhere. Someone needs to stay here. You are coming with me.'

'Where?' asked Piper suspiciously.

'Your sisters need you,' said Cole. 'They have a plan to save magic.'

Piper looked at the ceiling, considering whether it was okay to temporarily ditch her husband like this. Then again, he would understand… She hoped.

Piper put her hand on Cole's shoulder. Cole shimmered out. They reappeared on the Golden Gate Bridge.

'Piper!' said Paige smiling. 'Good to see you back.'

'I am here to discuss the plan, and not the _other_ thing,' said Piper quickly.

'Good, because I don't think I am ready to discuss the _other_ thing just yet either,' said Prue.

Phoebe and Paige frowned. They really wanted to discuss the _other_ thing.

'So what's the plan?' Piper asked Phoebe and Paige.

'Well, actually, it is Prue's plan,' said Phoebe.

'Prue's plan?' said Piper, slightly disheartened, feeling like Prue was replacing her in every way possible.

* * *

**A/N:** Next chapter will be putting the plan into action, and hopefully, if I can fit it into the next chapter, the return of a familiar character. Please review! Oh, and also have a read of _Moved On_ and review that too!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Okay, so whenever I see _Forever Charmed_, I find it funny that the way they symbolise that it has been a few years in the flash forward at the end is by having Paige wear glasses. I am going to take the mick of that in this chapter – according to _Charmed_, Paige wearing glasses ages her.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Prue began to explain her plan to Piper: 'So Piper, I was thinking. If we get a hold of the video footage from the police station of Phoebe and me, then I think we could manipulate those to make it look like something else caused the police to fall against the walls.'

Piper listened, staring coldly at Prue, with her arms crossed. 'So what do you need me for?'

'Well, we need you to freeze the police in the station, so as we can get to that video footage without being seen,' said Prue.

'That won't work,' said Piper. 'We still have the issue of them seeing Leo orb Phoebe into the attic, and Cole shimmer out with Phoebe, which we would not be able to disprove because those were not caught on video!'

Paige giggled. 'Wow, in each instance, Phoebe was present! We could so easily pin the whole thing on Phoebe and say we were under her spell!'

Phoebe laughed at Paige's joke, but Prue and Piper glared – both of whom knew there was no time to joke around. They had serious work to do.

Prue turned to Piper and said angrily, 'Fine. If you think my plan is not worth trying, let's hear your idea!'

'Fine!' said Piper, beginning to pace. 'The part about getting a hold of that video footage is a good idea – I cannot deny that. However, we need to disprove everything that the police have witnessed. I mean, we are lucky that the police have managed to keep this all from the press so far!'

'Piper, all you have done is state facts,' said Prue. 'Tell me your idea.'

Piper stopped pacing and faced Prue. Piper was trying to waste time while she thought up a plan as she currently did not have a plan in mind. She did not want to look weak in front of Phoebe and Paige. Piper was trying to think up a plan very quickly.

'We don't have all day,' said Prue, growing impatient to hear Piper's plan.

Phoebe, Paige, Cole, and Andy were standing quietly, listening to the conversation between the two eldest Halliwells. Phoebe and Paige were both wondering whether they should interrupt. Two things were obvious to them: that Prue wanted to get a move on with whatever plan they came up with; and that Piper wanted to be in charge, and was threatened by Prue's natural ability to take control of the situation. Cole had also noticed this, and was finding it entertaining to watch, so decided not to interrupt as well. Andy was too busy concentrating on mulling over the plan that was being pieced together to notice the tension.

It had been a full two minutes since anyone had spoken so Prue said to Piper, 'Well?'

Piper took a deep breath and, in order to give herself more time, said hesitantly, 'I… think… I… know… what… to… do…'

'Drag it out much longer, why don't you,' laughed Phoebe.

Phoebe got matching ice cold glares from Prue and Piper. Phoebe stepped back a little.

'It is probably not a good time to start joking around,' Paige whispered to Phoebe.

Phoebe agreed.

Prue turned back to Piper, and said, 'Continue.'

'I will,' said Piper, before pausing to think again.

'Do you even have a plan?' asked Prue.

'Of course I have a plan! Why would I say I had a plan if I did not have a plan? Who do you think I am? Phoebe?' said Piper. Before Phoebe could process that she had been insulted, Piper piped up and said with a smile, 'I have a plan!' She had finally thought of something.

'Tell me then,' said Prue.

'Well, in order to prove that all of those instances were misinterpreted, we need to make the police believe that each instance was captured on video,' began Piper.

'So you need to somehow convince the police that someone has been filming you?' interrupted Cole.

Piper nodded.

'The police will probably think the footage was faked unless a higher authority was to produce the video footage,' said Andy. 'They know that Darryl and I both have connections with you all, so they would not believe us.'

Piper smiled. 'That is where Paige comes in.'

'It is?' said Paige.

Piper turned to Paige. 'Do you remember when you wished to be the eldest sister?'

Paige nodded.

'Hang on, are we talking about bringing _him_ back?' asked Phoebe.

'I think so,' said Paige.

'Who's this?' asked Andy.

'A white lighter that Paige accidentally summoned from an alternative timeline,' said Piper.

'What?' said Prue and Andy, who were both new to this world of magic.

Cole only chuckled at hearing what Paige had done.

'Prue, do you remember me telling you about the time I wished I was the eldest?' asked Paige.

'When you met the genie?' said Prue.

* * *

**Flashback to 2000**

Paige looked at the genie in shock. 'I did not mean to say that. Take it back, please.'

The genie chuckled. 'You said 'I wish', so I have to grant it.'

'No, I was just annoyed at being treated like a baby! I do not actually want to be the eldest sister!' said Paige.

The genie shrugged. 'I am only granting the desire that you wished for.'

The genie clicked his fingers. Paige could feel a warmth wash over her.

'Two down, one to go,' said the genie. He disappeared from the living room.

Paige stood up, trying to figure out whether she felt any different. Piper and Leo came into the living room.

'What time do you call this, Piper?' asked Paige, looking at her watch. 'We have demons to catch and a genie issue, yet you spend your time wandering around San Francisco with Leo?'

Piper scowled. 'Paige, I had to go to P3, remember?' Piper looked at Paige funnily. 'Since when did you wear glasses?'

'Don't ask silly questions, Piper,' said Paige. 'We need to get back to demon hunting.'

'As long as we don't make any wishes, the genie won't be a problem,' said Piper. 'As to the demon, we vanquish demons on a daily basis. I think we will manage working through a situation like we always do.'

'Piper,' said Paige disapprovingly. 'I was speaking to the genie a few moments ago, and he told me two wishes had already been cast. That means that you and Phoebe must have both wished for something.'

'Excuse me? I have not wished for anything. How do you know it was not you?' asked Piper.

'Me? I do not make mistakes. That is why,' said Paige, full of pride.

'Genies are tricksters. You could have wished for something without knowing it,' said Leo.

'Then how do you know Piper has not done what you are accusing me of?' asked Paige.

Piper was staring at Paige. 'There is something different about you, Paige.'

Before anything more could be said, screaming was heard from the attic. Piper, Paige, and Leo ran upstairs to find out what was wrong with Phoebe.

After finding Phoebe floating on the attic ceiling, Leo managed to get her down. Paige was shaking her head in disappointment.

'Phoebe, Phoebe, Phoebe. You know better than to be taken as a fool by a genie,' said Paige curtly. 'You do not see me making a wish.'

'What did _you_ wish for, Paige?' said Phoebe, noticing how strangely Paige was acting.

'What do you mean? I seem to be the only one in this family who was not foolish enough to wish for something,' said Paige.

'Each of us made a wish, because as soon as I accidentally wished for a power, the genie became mortal,' said Phoebe.

Piper was speechless, while she attempted to think back to what her wish may have been. Paige, on the other hand, was still willing to believe that she had not wished for anything.

'Paige, did you wish to be more stubborn or vain at all? That seems to be how you have been acting ever since you came into the attic,' said Phoebe.

Paige raised an eyebrow. 'Why are you so adamant that I made a wish?'

'Why are you wearing glasses?' asked Phoebe.

Piper interrupted. 'Please don't fight. We have more serious matters right now.'

Paige sighed. 'You are always in the middle, aren't you, Piper?'

'Could you make a little more sense please, Paige?' said Piper.

'Well, you are the middle sister, and you always seem to have to mediate arguments that form between Phoebe and I,' began Paige.

'Whoa, did you say I am the _middle_ sister?' asked Piper.

'Yes…' said Paige. 'It is not rocket science, Piper.'

Piper, Phoebe, and Leo exchanged worried looks.

'Phoebe is the middle sister,' said Leo.

'No,' said Paige. 'What is wrong with you three? Phoebe is the youngest; Piper is the middle child; and I have always been the eldest.'

Piper and Phoebe stared at Paige, speechless. Paige took no notice of their expressions. She saw that the Book was not being used, so took it off the chair that Phoebe had left it on, and left the attic with it.

Leo turned to Piper and Phoebe once Paige was definitely out of earshot.

'I think I know what Paige wished for,' said Leo.

'You think she wished to be the eldest sister?' said Piper. 'Why would she do that?'

'Ohh!' said Phoebe in realisation. 'Paige wanted to take the Book from me earlier, because she had an idea about how to shut up the genie. I was in a bad mood because of the pain from my ankle. I felt like I was not able to be of any use if a demon attacked in my current condition, so I wanted to be useful by looking through the Book to find out more about the genie. Paige suddenly wanted to use the Book, but I would not let her. I told her to go downstairs. She said she wanted to find a spell that would shut the genie up –'

Leo interrupted Phoebe. 'Do you mean shut him up fatally or shut him up verbally?'

'Verbally, obviously. When that genie starts talking, he never stops,' said Phoebe. 'Basically, I told Paige that she should stop being so childish. Paige told me I was one to talk. Then I pulled the 'I am older than you so I get dibs over using the Book of Shadows' card. After another five minutes of arguing, Paige stormed out of the attic.'

'The genie must have been downstairs and Paige probably vented at him, which must have included a wish about being the eldest,' said Piper, piecing it all together.

Phoebe and Leo nodded.

'If she wished to be the eldest sister, why do the rest of us still know the truth?' asked Piper.

'The genie is a trickster. Wishes will never be granted the way you expect them to be,' said Leo.

Piper rolled her eyes. 'Honey, just say 'I don't know', if you don't know, rather than rambling.'

'I don't ramble, you do,' said Leo.

'No, I babble, not ramble,' said Piper.

'Actually, Piper, me and you ramble,' said Phoebe. 'It is Paige who babbles.'

Paige had returned to the attic with the Book. 'Piper, Phoebe. What a childish conversation. We need to focus on the fact that wishes that need reversing have been granted.'

'Do you remember what your wish may have been?' Phoebe asked Piper.

Piper shook her head.

'We need to sort this out fast, because Phoebe's flying power must have been stolen from someone else – and if that someone else was a demon, I do not think they will be happy,' said Leo.

'Okay, so we should go out and look for them now,' said Paige.

'No,' said Leo. 'Wait here while I check with the Elders.'

'No! Leo! You are not the boss of us! Nor are the Elders the boss of us! We never get anywhere when you check with the Elders! I don't understand the use of you white lighters except that you heal us,' said Paige.

'Whoa, Paige, don't be so harsh to Leo,' said Phoebe.

Piper was a little more annoyed at Paige than Phoebe was, considering Paige had just dissed her boyfriend.

'If this is how you think the older sister is supposed to act, Paige, then you should just leave! Go be an only child or something!' shouted Piper. 'Besides, you are part white lighter, so you just called yourself useless too!'

Paige scowled at Piper. 'Piper, ever since Leo came into our lives, you have been distracted from what is most important: our destiny as the Charmed Ones! I stood by you throughout your relationship, and I love that it is breaking every law up there, but I cannot stand it when you side with Leo over me and Phoebe!'

'Paige, what are you trying to say?' said Piper angrily. 'Me and Leo can leave right now if that is what you want!'

'Your boyfriend always leaves us mid-fight… I don't think that is right… I am trying to say that I don't want to hear… 'Go check with the Elders' from him as he may as well just disappear!' shouted Paige.

'Did that rhyme?' Phoebe pointed out.

Piper and Paige turned to Phoebe. They had forgotten she was in the room during their fight. Actually, they had also forgotten that Leo had been present in the room; except, now that they were paying attention again, they noticed that Leo was no longer there.

'Where did Leo go?' asked Piper.

'Paige's words… They rhymed…' said Phoebe.

'What are you implying, Pheebs?' said Paige. 'I did not rhyme on purpose. I was venting.'

'Whether you rhymed on purpose or not, as a witch, a rhyme will always mean a spell,' said Phoebe.

Piper pieced Phoebe's implication together and glared at Paige.

'_You_ made my boyfriend disappear!' shouted Piper.

'Not on purpose!' said Paige.

There was a crash downstairs.

'Where's my power? I want it back!' shouted the intruder from downstairs.

'Who is that?' Phoebe asked her sisters.

'A demon or something,' said Piper.

The three of them left the attic to face the demon – the Dragon Warlock.

A string of events followed that. They managed to force the Dragon Warlock out of the manor, but did not vanquish him. The three of them found the genie at the local café and confronted him. The genie was teleported away by the Triad before the sisters could use him. Oh, and there was some Dan growing old stuff going on too, but no one was really paying attention to that. The sisters regrouped at the manor to figure out a way of vanquishing the Dragon Warlock and getting the genie back to reverse their wishes.

This was difficult as Piper and Paige were not currently on talking terms. Piper wanted to focus on getting Leo back, but Paige wanted to focus on the Dragon Warlock and genie. Phoebe wanted peace between her sisters and for everything to be back to normal.

Long story short, the three sisters, the Dragon Warlock, and the genie ended up back at the manor in a final battle. Paige and Phoebe managed to vanquish the Dragon Warlock, but Piper had been stabbed and was down for the count. The genie told them that he would reverse their wishes, but that the reversal would not save Piper.

'We need a white lighter to heal her,' said Paige.

'We need Leo,' said Phoebe.

'Or for the Elders to bring down any white lighter!' Paige shouted at the ceiling.

'Paige, the only reason that you were able to cast a spell that sent Leo away was because you are technically the eldest Charmed One, which makes you more powerful than Piper and me,' said Phoebe. 'Maybe that will have enhanced your white lighter abilities too. Maybe you can heal Piper.'

Paige shook her head. 'Being the eldest Charmed One has only enhanced my witch powers, because the Charmed line is one of witches.'

'Then we will not reverse the wishes until you have cast a spell. Cast a spell to bring Leo back!' said Phoebe.

Paige gulped, and came up with a spell:

'_Crossing the great big wall,_

_Give it your all._

_To bring here a white lighter,_

_To give our sister the chance to be a fighter._'

The room filled with a bright light and someone fell to the floor. He stood up. He was not Leo.

'What am I doing here?' said the white lighter.

'You are not Leo…' said Phoebe.

'I know I am not –' The white lighter stopped when he saw who he was talking to. 'Phoebe? _Paige_?' Then he saw Piper on the floor. 'Piper is hurt.'

'Duh! That is why we were trying to bring Leo back!' said Paige.

The white lighter knelt down on the floor and healed Piper. Piper stood up fully healed. As soon as he realised Piper was safe, he orbed out.

'Who was that?' asked Piper.

'Not Leo,' said Phoebe.

'Yeah, Pheebs, I think I realised that much,' said Piper sarcastically.

Paige had been quiet, trying to think up another spell. She had to bring Leo back before the genie reversed their wishes.

Piper had run into the living room to check on aging Dan. She came back into the conservatory.

'Hurry up and bring my boyfriend back, Paige, because I don't know how much longer Dan is going to last. He needs the wishes reversed to survive, but we need you to bring Leo back before the wishes are reversed,' said Piper.

Paige closed her eyes and began to recite a spell:

'_Bring what was taken,_

_As this witch was mistaken._

_Her rhyme was just a rhyme,_

_Bring Leo back through space and time._'

There was a swirl of white lights and Leo reappeared.

'Piper!' Leo hugged his wife. She hugged him back.

Paige smiled. Phoebe indicated to the genie that he could reverse everything now. The genie nodded. Piper and Leo went into the living room and watched as Dan became his young self again. She and Leo had to remain in the living room to explain everything to him. Phoebe and Paige were in the conservatory with the genie. Phoebe felt the flying power leave her. Paige felt funny.

Paige went to rub her eyes. The glasses had disappeared. She also realised how arrogant she had been acting for the last day or so.

'I should go and apologise to Piper and Leo,' said Paige.

'Let them deal with Dan first,' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded. She smiled. 'I never realised how good it was to be the youngest.'

The genie went for a wander. They still had three wishes, so he was stuck with them for a bit longer and would come back when they called for him.

Suddenly the white lighter from earlier orbed back into the conservatory.

'What did you do?' he asked Phoebe and Paige.

'What do you mean?' asked Phoebe.

'This is not my time. I don't think this is even the same timeline,' said the white lighter.

'What?' said Paige.

'I am from 2006. I just found out that this is the year 2000,' said the white lighter.

'Oops, my spell went awry,' said Paige. 'Not only did it send us a white lighter that was not Leo, but also one from the future.'

'Not just from the future, but from a different timeline,' said the white lighter.

'Excuse me?' said Phoebe.

'In the timeline that I am from, Paige Matthews does not meet Piper or Phoebe Halliwell until 2001,' said the white lighter.

'There are different timelines?' said Paige.

'Timelines, universes, whatever you want to call them…' said the white lighter.

'Do you know us in this other universe then?' asked Phoebe.

The white lighter blushed. 'I knew you three before I died and became a white lighter. I was an FBI agent that was investigating you. I knew of witches and demons, and I needed your help with something – something that should not happen for another few years here… Maybe I can stop it from ever happening in this universe…'

'Can you get back to the main point? No side tracking,' said Paige.

'Sorry. Well, soon you knew that I knew your secret and in turn you knew my secret. Paige and I dated for a while. The enemies that I needed your help with killed me when I tried to kill them,' said the white lighter. 'The Elders decided to make me into a white lighter. Just under a year later, I was keeping an eye on a charge when I suddenly found myself falling into your conservatory because you had summoned me _from a completely different universe_!' He put a lot more emphasis on the last five words.

'Sorry,' said Paige apologetically.

'Could you send me back, please?' asked the white lighter.

'Er,' said Paige. 'I am not powerful enough.'

'You were before,' said the white lighter.

'Yes, but I am not now… I don't think the Power of Three is powerful enough either,' said Paige.

'So I am stuck in this time?' said the white lighter.

'That is not a bad thing, is it?' asked Phoebe.

'Well, I have no charges in this time or place. I believe my FBI self is around in New York doing FBI work, so I cannot even take up my old identity. What do you think, Phoebe?' said the white lighter.

'You can stay here if you want…' said Paige.

'No, I need some time alone. I guess I can work on ridding this world of the avatars before their collective is strong enough,' said the white lighter. 'Call me if you ever get in big enough trouble that you need me.'

He was about to orb out, but Paige stopped him.

'Wait! What's your name?' asked Paige.

The white lighter smiled. 'Kyle. Kyle Brody.'

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so I know I said that they would be putting their plan into action in this chapter, but I had to introduce Kyle into the main plot, as he will be making an appearance in the main plotline. I just had to bring him in in the flashback first. Prue has Andy, Piper has Leo, Phoebe has Cole, so Paige needed a love interest in this story. Kyle is my favourite, so Kyle it is. The next chapter will be back to present day and their plan will be put into action. Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. This Kyle is not from an AU. The Charmed Ones are the ones in the AU in this fan fiction. Kyle is from the canon Charmed-verse. I only update this fan fiction once a week. This week was especially difficult because I had to keep rewriting this chapter because I kept changing my mind on how to get them out of their tangle.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**2001 – Present Day**

'So how can this Kyle guy help us?' asked Prue.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Cole, and Andy were still standing on top of Golden Gate Bridge. Piper was yet to fully explain her plan. Prue, Andy, and Cole now knew who Kyle was thanks to Paige's explanation.

'Although he is not the Kyle from this universe, he could hopefully use his FBI agent identity to pretend to have been investigating us, and therefore give them proof that there is nothing unusual about us,' said Piper.

'So he is going to pretend to be himself?' said Phoebe.

Piper nodded. 'Hopefully the real Kyle of this universe will not be alerted by the identity theft.'

'Well it is not technically identity theft…' said Paige.

'So how do we call for him?' asked Prue.

'The same way that we call for Leo,' said Piper.

'Kyle!' shouted Phoebe. 'Kyle!'

There was no response.

'Maybe he is busy?' said Phoebe.

'No. He said he will show up if we ever need him. We need him now,' said Piper. 'Kyle! Kyle!'

Still Kyle did not orb in.

'Kyle?' muttered Paige under her breath. 'Kyle, where are you? We need you.'

Kyle orbed in right next to Paige.

'Paige, are you okay?' asked Kyle. Then Kyle saw Prue, Andy, and Cole standing there as well as Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. 'Who are the newcomers?'

'You never met Prue, Andy, or Cole in your alternate universe?' asked Phoebe.

'No. My alternate universe is ahead of your time,' said Kyle. 'Prue? That's Prue Halliwell?'

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige nodded.

'It is nice to finally meet the eldest Charmed One,' said Kyle, holding out his hand for Prue to shake.

Prue shook it hesitantly. 'You know about me?'

'Well, actually…' began Kyle but Piper interrupted him.

'We really need to get talking about the reason Phoebe, Paige, and I called for you,' said Piper.

'You all called? I only heard Paige's call…' said Kyle.

'What? Piper and I were yelling for you, yet you hear Paige whisper your name?' said Phoebe in disbelief.

Prue frowned. 'Please can we focus on the plan?'

Piper nodded. 'Kyle, we need your help. Magic has been exposed. We are going to magic up some footage of us that should prove to the cops that they were wrong all along about us being magical. However they will probably think we manipulated the footage, unless an authorial figure hands it in…'

'Are you implying that I go in there with the faked footage and pass it off as proof using the guise of an agent of the FBI?' asked Kyle.

'Well, you are an FBI agent…' said Phoebe.

'Yes, but why do you even need to do that?' said Kyle. 'When I became a white lighter, I learnt about many areas of the magical world, including about the Cleaners…'

'The who?' said Piper.

'The Cleaners… Do they not exist in this universe?' asked Kyle.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige shrugged.

'We have never heard of them,' said Phoebe.

'Hmm… I wonder why Leo has not asked the Elders to bring the Cleaners in yet,' said Kyle.

'The Elders? The Elders are the Cleaners' bosses?' said Piper. 'I hate having to go to the Elders for help.'

'If they can help us out of this, isn't it worth it?' asked Paige.

Piper sighed. 'Fine, but why would Leo not tell us that that is a choice?'

'That is what I want to know,' said Kyle. 'Where is Leo?'

Paige blushed. 'Looking after our nephew.'

'Wyatt is already born in this universe?' said Kyle quizzically.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Andy, and Cole exchanged puzzled looks. Kyle noticed this.

'His name is not Wyatt?' said Kyle.

'Our nephew is called Petey,' said Paige.

'Piper named her son Petey in this universe?' said Kyle.

'Me? What is it with everyone thinking that Prue's son is mine?' said Piper grumpily.

'Oh, sorry,' said Kyle. 'Paige said 'nephew' and I assumed…'

'Can we get back to the issue of these maids… cleanly people… cleaners?' said Phoebe.

'I will get Leo,' said Paige.

Paige orbed out.

* * *

'Paige! Why I was left with babysitting duty?' Leo whispered when he saw Paige orb in.

Leo was standing by the cot. Petey was fast asleep in it.

'I think the better question is… Why have you never suggested we use the Cleaners?' said Paige.

Leo blushed. 'Oh that… How did you find out about them?'

'Kyle suggested them,' said Paige.

'Kyle? The white lighter that you –' began Leo but Paige interrupted him.

'Yes, that Kyle,' said Paige.

'If you agree with his idea so much, then why can he not go up there and ask the Elders about the Cleaners?' said Leo grudgingly.

'Well, because – because…' Paige trailed off because she could not think of the reason. 'Kyle!'

Kyle orbed in. 'Paige?' Kyle then saw Leo. 'Hey Leo. Long time no see. Well, actually… hmm… the last proper memory I have of you is trying to kill – Never mind…'

'Kyle,' said Paige. 'Why can you not go up there and ask the Elders to get the Cleaners to help us?'

'I am not from this universe. My mortal self is still alive and well in this universe. The Elders do not know I am a white lighter. I have not been up there since I came into this universe, and I won't start now,' explained Kyle.

'Fair enough,' said Paige. Paige turned back to Leo. 'Leo? Shouldn't you be going up there now?'

Leo sighed. 'Paige, I don't think this is a good idea.'

'Really? I think it is a good idea. Prue thinks it is a good idea. Piper thinks it is a good idea. Phoebe thinks it is a good idea. Kyle thinks it is a good idea,' said Paige. 'Need I say more?'

Leo sighed. 'Paige, listen to me.'

'No, Leo, listen to me! This has gone on long enough! We need help and if the Cleaners can help, then why not go and ask them for it?' said Paige angrily. 'Leo, orb up there now!'

'Paige, you are part white lighter. Why don't you do it?' growled Leo.

'Leo, what is wrong with you?' shouted Paige.

Petey began to murmur in his sleep.

'You are going to wake him,' said Leo irritably.

'Piper, Phoebe, and I are usually the ones with Elder issues. You never mind going up there,' said Paige, slowly piecing things together. 'Are they mad at you?'

'All you need to know is that I do not think they will be open to me asking them about needing the Cleaners,' said Leo.

'Leo!' moaned Paige.

Leo picked Petey up out of the cot. Leo orbed out with Petey.

Paige let out a sigh of aggravation. 'He obviously won't tell me anything.'

'At least he stormed off with the kid so as we don't have to worry about babysitting,' said Kyle.

'That is because he knows what sort of trouble we are in,' said Paige. 'This also still does not explain why he is refusing to help us!'

'Calm down, Paige,' said Kyle. 'There are other ways to coax the Cleaners into helping.'

'There is?' said Paige.

'Yes. In my universe, when I became a white lighter, the Elders told me all about the time that you and your sisters decided to catch the Cleaners' attention so as they would not take Wyatt away…' said Kyle.

'This Wyatt stuff again? Why would Piper and Leo name their son after Leo's surname? It seems silly. What's his name Wyatt Wyatt?' said Paige.

'Paige, the point is how you managed to get the Cleaners' to speak to you,' said Kyle.

'How did we do that?' asked Paige.

'You exposed magic,' said Kyle simply.

Paige rolled her eyes. 'In case you have forgotten, our exposing magic is the reason we need them!'

'Yes, but I think if – rather than trying to fix it – you try to make it worse… you may just force the Cleaners to make an appearance,' said Kyle.

Paige smiled. 'Do you mean we get to have fun with magic for once without worrying about the consequences?'

'For a little while,' said Kyle smiling.

Paige grabbed Kyle's hand. She orbed them to Prescott Street.

'How about your sisters?' asked Kyle.

Police were already gaping at Paige and Kyle, advancing on them.

'I did not feel like stopping off at the bridge first. Besides I learnt a neat trick a few months ago when we were infected by the seven deadly sins,' said Paige. 'Gluttony! Lust!'

Piper and Phoebe appeared – shocked – in a flurry of orbs next to Paige and Kyle.

'You can telekinetically orb people?' said Kyle, surprised.

'Only those two, but only by stating the sin that they were infected with. Don't ask why. It is just a neat little trick I have been able to do since it happened,' explained Paige. 'Hmm… I wonder… If Prue really is my sister… I may be able to telekinetically orb her here too. I would assume that – when taking her personality into consideration – if she had been there, she would have been infected by… Pride!'

Prue appeared – shocked – in a flurry of orbs next to Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Kyle. The police had surrounded them by now.

'Freeze!' shouted one of the police officers.

'Piper, you heard him. Freeze him,' said Paige.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe stared at Paige in disbelief. Piper flicked her wrists and all of the police surrounding them froze.

'Paige, what are you doing?' muttered Piper. 'Orbing us right in front of the police! Telling me to use my magic on them!'

'Leo won't help for some absurd reason, so the next best thing is to force the Cleaners to help us by making the exposure worse,' said Paige.

'You mean we can use as much magic as we like?' said Phoebe.

Paige nodded. 'Piper, can you unfreeze half of the police officers surrounding us? It will freak them out to see that we have frozen a few of them.'

Piper was still staring at Paige in disbelief.

'I don't think this is a good idea,' said Piper.

'Piper, if Leo won't help, what other choice do we have?' said Paige. 'Besides Kyle said that he knows we have done this in his universe in a different scenario and it worked at getting the Cleaners to show up.'

Piper sighed. She flicked her wrists. Half of the police officers surrounding them unfroze.

'Prue, would you like to do the honours?' said Paige.

Prue hesitantly made a gesture with her hand causing one of the unfrozen police officers to float in the air. Prue made another gesture and the freaked out police officer landed softly on the ground – the sisters wanted to expose magic, but not cause any harm.

'I think we have freaked these guys out enough,' said Phoebe.

'Hmm… Me too,' said Paige. 'Does anyone feel like alerting the general public too?'

Prue and Piper were hesitant. However, Phoebe and Kyle nodded. Paige grabbed Prue and Piper's hands and orbed them to the main shopping centre with her. It was around ten in the morning now so the shopping centre was full of people. Therefore, many people saw Prue, Piper, and Paige appear in a flurry of orbs. This was immediately followed by everyone seeing Kyle and Phoebe appear in a flurry of orbs.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged looks. They each nodded and split up amongst the crowds to cause chaos. Kyle decided to follow Paige.

* * *

Prue could feel people staring at her as she walked into the shopping centre's food court. They had all seen her appear out of nowhere and were wondering what she would do next. Prue gestured at some empty chairs which went flying through the glass windows of unopened empty shops. Prue felt guilty for ruining someone's livelihood, but as long as she hurt no one in the process, she decided that this destruction was crucial.

Piper made her way out into the car park. Many cars were pulling into the car park; people were getting ready for a day full of shopping. Piper flicked her wrists, freezing some people who were midway through getting out of their car. This caused bystanders to freak out – Piper was glad that they had noticed. That hopefully meant that the Cleaners would also start to notice what the Halliwell sisters were up to. Piper decided to attempt freezing a car while it was in motion. That would freak out the people who were driving it. Piper flicked her wrists at a car that was going in the opposite direction to her. The trunk blew up. Piper went pale. Her thoughts were centred on the well-being of the passengers and not on the fact that her explosion power had suddenly made a sudden reappearance. Piper ran over to the car to check on the passengers…

Phoebe approached the escalators. She knew everyone was staring at her. She decided to use this chance in the spotlight to freak them out even more. Rather than using the escalators, Phoebe levitated upwards, and landed smoothly on the ground when she reached the upper floor. Phoebe smiled at the startled faces that were staring at her when she commenced walking casually along the upper floor as if she had not done anything out of the ordinary.

Paige walked into a sweet shop with Kyle. The line was huge. Paige saw some chocolate cake in the counter. She telekinetically orbed it into her hand. She then telekinetically orbed the correct money onto the counter, because she wanted to pay for the cake – she was not going to steal it. She received many frightened looks from customers and employees in the shop. She smiled at them and nonchalantly asked the whole store if they wanted her to share it with them. Kyle chuckled at Paige's sense of humour. He knew she was finding it quite funny to use her magic this openly.

Prue, Phoebe, Paige, and Kyle heard the crash from outside simultaneously.

Paige and Kyle orbed straight to the car park while Prue came running out of the front entrance. Phoebe used her levitation power to float gently down to the car park from the upper floor window. The four of them noticed the car that was engulfed in flames. They saw Piper attempting to get close to the car.

Piper noticed Prue, Phoebe, and Paige staring at her.

'Prue, rip that car door off now! There are people in there!' shouted Piper in tears.

Prue nodded seriously. Prue moved her arm quickly. The door of the car was removed by the power of her telekinesis. Piper reached into the car to help the people inside it get out.

'Why does she not freeze the flames?' Phoebe asked Paige, as they, Prue, and Kyle ran to help Piper.

Suddenly the flames froze and so did the people that Piper had been aiding out of the car.

'It is about time that you froze the burning car, Piper,' said Phoebe.

'It was not me,' said Piper between sobs. 'I never meant to hurt these people. My explosion power came back and then I could not get my freezing power to work…'

'Hang on… If you did not freeze the scene, who did?' asked Prue.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Kyle turned around to see two smartly dressed men standing behind them.

'Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige. Meet the Cleaners,' Kyle said to the four Halliwells.

'You got our attention,' said a Cleaner.

'What do you want?' asked the other Cleaner.

'You know what we want,' said Prue.

Piper had taken Kyle to one side. She was pointing at the frozen people who had previously been in the burning car. She had managed to safely remove them from the car now that everything was frozen. She was asking him to heal them. Therefore she and Kyle were no longer taking part in the conversation with the Cleaners.

'You want us to undo your magical exposure,' said a Cleaner.

'Yes, so get a move on and do it,' said Phoebe, not bothering to remember her manners.

'Why are you so positive that we will do it?' asked the other Cleaner.

'You would not have turned up just now if you were not going to do it,' said Paige. 'You did not turn up earlier when we exposed magic by mistake; instead you did nothing. Considering that you turn up now when we have exposed magic more, you must be here to do something.'

'How do you know that we are not here to punish you for your irresponsible use of magic?' asked a Cleaner.

'You need us, that's why,' said Prue. 'We vanquished some assassin demon guy and some hooded ketchup guy in the same day. Apparently both were really bad…'

Phoebe and Paige laughed.

'We thought you were getting quite knowledgeable about this demon stuff, Prue,' said Phoebe.

Prue blushed. 'Wasn't the hooded guy some sort of sauce?'

'The Source of All Evil is now a condiment in his vanquished state,' giggled Phoebe.

'The point is,' said Prue, turning back to the Cleaners. 'Apparently we were the only ones who could defeat them and we did. Therefore you should help us out.'

'I don't understand why you did not help us out before,' said Phoebe.

'The issue of exposure forced you to rely on your instincts to vanquish Shax and the Source – without the help of your base…' said a Cleaner.

'Our base? You mean our home,' said Paige.

'Yes. Without the safety net of returning to your base, you were forced to think on your feet,' said the other Cleaner.

'So why did you not turn up straight after we vanquished Shax and Mister Hooded Ketchup?' asked Piper, wiping her tears away as she rejoined the conversation with Kyle.

Prue smiled, hearing Piper mock her nickname for the Source. Maybe Piper was beginning to accept Prue?

'We have our reasons,' said a Cleaner.

'So are we just going to stand here, or are you going to make everyone forget that magic exists?' asked Phoebe.

The two Cleaners did not reply. They just nodded and disappeared. People in the car park started to walk casually around Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Kyle. The four Halliwells and the white lighter turned around. The burning car was no longer behind them, nor were the freshly healed victims. Piper saw the car – undamaged – parked in a space nearby, and the passengers – unharmed and happy – were walking away from their car towards the shopping centre entrance.

'Do you think they erased everything we did?' asked Phoebe.

'I hope so because I feel bad about damaging someone's shop in that shopping centre,' said Prue.

'Should we go back to the manor? They should have erased the police stuff too,' said Piper.

'Are we going back via orbing?' asked Phoebe.

'Nah. I think I have had enough of magic for one day,' said Paige.

'Besides it is a bright, sunny morning,' said Kyle. 'Let's walk.'

* * *

Prue and Piper walked ahead of them. Piper wanted to lead the way back to the manor by herself, but Prue was having none of that. Phoebe did not want to get involved so walked a few paces behind them. Paige and Kyle lagged behind, walking side by side.

'Paige, I was wondering… You said that you and your sisters were infected by sins a few months ago… Which sin were you infected by?' asked Kyle curiously.

Paige blushed. 'Envy.'

Kyle opened his mouth to say something but Paige nudged him.

'Don't ask why,' said Paige.

* * *

**A/N:** I did not want to end this chapter with a cliff hanger. Just a positive, light ending to the chapter. However, there are still questions that I need to answer in future chapters: How is Piper reacting to Prue being her sister? How is Prue reacting to having sisters? Why did Leo refuse to help? What is going to happen now that Piper's explosion power is back? Will a relationship blossom between Paige and Kyle even though he is technically further into the relationship than Paige (technically Kyle did date Paige for a few months in his universe)? Oh, and the big old question of: Does anyone remember that they left Andy and Cole on top of the Golden Gate Bridge? The next update will be in a week's time _if_ I have written a chapter by then. Please review.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** This is terrible. Every time I solve one of their problems, I just write in a new one to replace it. You will understand what I mean after you have read this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

Prue and Piper sat in the attic in silence. They had gone up to the attic with Paige and Kyle to find that the Book had been magically returned to its rightful place. Paige and Kyle had decided to leave the attic, locking Prue and Piper in.

'You do know they locked us in here to make us talk about the… situation,' said Prue, breaking the silence.

'I know…' said Piper, looking at the floor.

'So… Apparently I am your eldest sister… I believe it as much as you do, Piper…' said Prue.

'As much as I believe it, which means that you want more proof before accepting it, right?' said Piper.

Prue nodded. 'Exactly.'

'At least we can agree on something,' said Piper.

Prue sighed. 'To humour Paige and Kyle, we may as well discuss the possibility…'

Piper sighed. 'I guess so…'

'So I am your eldest sister… For some reason I was abandoned… You three grew up not knowing me. I grew up not knowing you three. We happened to both know Andy at some point in our lives. He is the reason that we were reunited…' said Prue.

'It all seems extremely unlikely,' said Piper unemotionally.

'I know which is why I cannot accept this until I get more proof,' said Prue.

'Shall we get onto the part that Paige and Kyle actually wanted us to discuss?' said Piper.

Prue let out a sigh. 'I guess we should…'

'The reason I am being so bitter towards you is because I have always been the one in control, even before we became witches. You seem to be taking over, to be taking my role,' said Piper.

Prue turned to look at Piper for the first time since Paige and Kyle had locked them in. Piper, however, did not look up – she was still looking at the floor.

'Piper, I never tried to take your role,' said Prue. 'I don't even know if I can deal with the thought of having three little sisters who depend on me.'

Piper looked at Prue.

'Thanks,' said Piper sarcastically. 'You will be glad to know that I don't need an older sister to depend on.'

'Good to know,' said Prue resentfully.

'No problem,' said Piper spitefully.

There was a short silence.

Piper broke it with a sigh. 'Prue, I am sorry. That was really harsh of me. Sister or not, you are now and will always be a good friend to this family.'

Prue smiled. 'Thanks. I never meant anything negative when I moaned about the possibility of three younger sisters being an annoying thing.'

'That is okay,' said Piper. 'I find Phoebe and Paige annoying sometimes – okay, that's a slight lie. I find them annoying _a lot_.'

Prue and Piper laughed.

* * *

Paige and Kyle sat in the living room. Paige was feeling slightly self conscious as she could tell that Kyle was looking at her.

'Kyle…' said Paige. 'How well did you say you knew me in your universe?'

'We were extremely close,' said Kyle. 'Why?'

Paige sighed. 'You seem to forget that I am not her…'

'Oh. Are you seeing someone?' asked Kyle, embarrassed.

'No, it is not that,' said Paige. 'I do like you, but I only met you once before today. My problem is that you seem to think there is more to us than there is.'

Kyle blushed. 'I am so sorry, Paige. I keep forgetting that you don't know me as well as I know you.'

Paige looked up at Kyle.

'That is the problem, Kyle. You don't know _me_. All those things that you said that I have done with Piper and Phoebe, I have never done. I have no nephew called Wyatt… Piper, Phoebe, and I never faced the Cleaners before today… I am not your Paige,' said Paige.

'Paige, I am sorry. I can take this slowly if you would rather,' said Kyle.

'Kyle! Stop assuming that we are already in a relationship!' said Paige, annoyed. 'I do like you and I have enjoyed being with you so far today, but I don't want you to presume that we are in a relationship. I have only actually known you for twelve hours at most. Say two hours on the day I accidentally summoned you and ten hours today.'

Kyle sighed. 'Paige… You have known me since the day you accidentally summoned me…'

'Yes, but you decided to leave that day and not come back,' said Paige.

'Paige, I had to sort things out… Stop the avatars before they could gain power… I was always listening for your call… You never called until today,' said Kyle solemnly.

Their conversation ceased because Cole shimmered in with Andy. Andy looked completely flustered.

'How did you do that?' shouted Andy, looking around to figure out where he was. 'How did we even get on top of the bridge in the first place?'

Paige blushed. 'Oops. Did we leave the two of you there by mistake?'

Andy turned to see Paige.

'You knew I was up there? How did I get up there?' asked Andy. 'How did I get here?'

Paige and Kyle turned to Cole.

'Cole, what happened? Why is Andy confused?' asked Paige accusingly.

'It wasn't me,' said Cole, raising his hands innocently.

Paige sighed. 'I better get Prue down here.'

Paige orbed out. Andy fell to the ground in shock.

'What the – What is going on here? How did she do that?' shouted Andy.

Cole chuckled. 'I will go and find Phoebe.'

Cole shimmered out.

'You might want to sit down, Andy,' said Kyle, taking note of Andy's pale face.

'Are you going to disappear too?' said Andy stunned.

* * *

Phoebe jumped onto her bed and hugged her pillow.

'Oh, I have missed you so much,' Phoebe said to her room in general.

'You missed your pillow more than me?'

Phoebe looked up to see Cole standing at the doorway. Phoebe leapt to her feet.

'Cole! I have not seen you since… Since the bridge… Oops. We forgot about you and Andy, didn't we?' said Phoebe guiltily.

'Yes… About Andy…' said Cole sheepishly.

'What about Andy? You did not leave him on the bridge, did you?' asked Phoebe.

'No…' said Cole. 'I shimmered him here with me.'

'Then what about Andy?' asked Phoebe curiously.

Cole sighed. 'You had better come downstairs and see for yourself.'

* * *

Prue and Piper had decided that they both wanted more information about Prue's status as a Charmed One and Halliwell sister. They knew exactly how to get that information.

The candles were set up in a circle. The candles were all lit. Prue and Piper stood at the Book of Shadows. Piper had it open on the correct page.

'Ready?' said Piper.

'As ready as I will ever be,' said Prue.

'Okay,' said Piper. 'Let's read the spell together…'

There was a brief pause as both Prue and Piper took a deep breath.

Paige orbed into the attic. She had orbed in so close to the candles that her trouser leg caught alight.

'Paige!' said Prue.

Piper froze the flame. Prue used her telekinesis to break open one of the water pipes in the attic. She directed the burst of water straight at Paige's trouser leg.

'Thanks,' said Paige. She looked at the floor. 'What's with all the lit candles?'

'We wanted to summon Mum, to ask about Prue. Looks like we need to start again with the candles though,' said Piper, noticing that the water had extinguished most of the candles and Paige had managed to knock half of the candles down during the incident.

'We don't have time for that now, unfortunately,' said Paige.

'Why not?' said Prue.

'Demon?' said Piper.

'No, Andy,' said Paige.

Prue suddenly looked worried. 'Is he okay? Is he hurt? Oh! We left him on the Golden Gate Bridge, didn't we? Is he safe?'

'He is here,' said Paige.

'Then what's wrong?' asked Piper.

'The two of you should come downstairs,' said Paige. 'It would be simpler for you to see than for me to explain, because I don't actually know the explanation.'

Since the attic door was locked from the outside, Prue and Piper took Paige's hands and she orbed them downstairs.

Andy was standing behind Phoebe and Kyle, trying to keep away from Cole. When Prue, Piper, and Paige appeared in a flurry of orbs, Andy stared at Prue and Piper in shock.

'You and Piper too, Prue?!' said Andy. 'Are Phoebe and Kyle the only normal ones?'

'Excuse me?' said Paige. 'What is not normal about me?'

'Andy, are you okay?' asked Prue.

'That should be my question to you, Prue,' said Andy furiously. 'What is going on here?'

'Prue, Piper, Paige. Can I speak to you in the kitchen?' said Phoebe.

Phoebe ushered Prue, Piper, and Paige into the kitchen, leaving Kyle to try and keep Andy calm in the living room.

Once in the kitchen, Prue turned to Phoebe.

'Phoebe, do you know what is wrong with Andy?' asked Prue.

'Why does he think you and Kyle are the only normal ones?' asked Paige.

'I used the stairs and Kyle did not disappear and reappear in a swirl of blue and white orbs. That's why,' said Phoebe.

'Back up a few steps, Pheebs,' said Piper. 'Andy knows about orbing and shimmering and magic in general.'

'Correction, Piper. He _knew_ about orbing and shimmering and magic in general,' said Phoebe.

'What are you on about, Phoebe? He found out about magic when the police told him,' said Prue. Then Prue realised what Phoebe was getting at. 'Oh…'

Phoebe nodded. 'Exactly.'

'Can someone feel Piper and me in?' said Paige, who just like Piper was not following.

Prue and Phoebe turned to Piper and Paige.

'Andy is a mortal,' said Phoebe.

'Those Cleaners made sure that any mortal who found out about magic forgot,' said Prue.

Piper gasped. Paige's eyes widened in realisation.

'So when Cole shimmered them from the bridge to here, Andy must have been massively confused…' said Phoebe.

'It probably did not help that I then orbed right in front of him,' said Paige guiltily.

'And then orbed back in front of him with Piper and me,' added Prue.

'We have to explain this all to him _again_,' said Piper exasperatedly.

'_You_ don't. _I_ do,' said Prue. 'I will head home with Andy… Explain it to him in the comfort of our own home… Both our cars are at home, so I don't know how we are going to get back.'

'Orb?' Paige suggested, but she knew it was a bad suggestion before anyone had a chance to respond.

'Andy probably does not need that much shock right now,' said Piper.

'You can borrow Piper or Paige's car,' said Phoebe.

'I need my car for work tomorrow,' said Piper quickly.

Paige threw Prue her car keys. 'Take mine,' said Paige. 'I doubt I have a job to go back to tomorrow anyway.'

'Am I really still carless?' Phoebe mumbled. 'I need to get myself a car.'

'Get a job first, Pheebs,' said Piper.

'I guess it is time for me to convince Andy that it is safe to go home with me,' said Prue with concern.

'We will back you up, sis,' said Phoebe.

Prue and Piper exchanged looks when Phoebe uttered the last word. They still wanted to summon Patty for information. For now that would have to wait.

The four Halliwells returned to the living room. Cole was no longer there. He had decided it was not best to stick around with Andy's current state. Andy was sitting next to Kyle on the sofa. Andy and Kyle looked up when the four Halliwells entered the living room.

'Will you all please explain to me what is going on?' asked Andy.

'Andy, we are witches. Cole is… something else,' said Prue. She thought it was best not to bring up demons just yet. 'Magic exists.'

'How long have you been keeping this from me?' Andy asked Prue.

'You found out at the same time as me, Andy,' said Prue.

'Really? To me, it looks like you are quite used to it,' said Andy.

'Yes, that is because you and I have known for a while,' said Prue.

Andy frowned. 'No. I found out at the same time that Cole teleported me here!' shouted Andy.

Prue gulped. However much she had worried about Andy's reaction the first time round, the second time round was just as uncomfortable.

'Andy… Magic was exposed. Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and I went to get the exposure reversed by making everyone forget. Apparently your memory of it all was taken too. I never wanted you to forget, I did not even realise _you_ would forget…' said Prue gently.

Prue looked Andy in the eyes. She wanted him to believe her. She wanted him to smile and nod. However, the first time Andy found out, he had had time to think it through before coming face to face with Prue. This time Prue was asking him for his response before he had had time to think it through.

'Prue, I need time to take this all in,' said Andy glumly. 'I need a walk.'

'Will you be home later?' asked Prue.

'I don't know… I need some time without you…' said Andy.

'Where will you go?' asked Prue croakily.

'I might sleep at my desk at the station,' said Andy shrugging.

'Andy. You go home. If you want time away from Prue, she is welcome to stay here,' said Paige.

Phoebe agreed.

Prue sighed. 'Andy, go home. Think everything through.'

Andy nodded. 'Phone me tomorrow morning, okay?'

'You are the one who does not want to speak to me,' said Prue.

'Yes, but I will probably regret that decision in the morning,' said Andy.

'Then why can we not talk now?' said Prue.

'I am not ready,' said Andy.

Andy walked towards the front door. Prue followed him. Andy stopped and turned around.

'Tell me this… If you are… a witch… Is it inherited?' said Andy hesitantly.

Prue nodded. 'Petey has powers.'

Andy sighed. 'This is just… Woah, this is… a lot to take in.'

Andy opened the front door and left.

Prue returned to the living room. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were sitting on the sofa. They looked up when Prue entered.

'Where did Kyle go?' asked Prue, trying to hide her tears.

'He decided it was time to leave,' said Paige.

'Prue, how are you?' asked Phoebe.

'It is… a lot to take in,' said Prue, mirroring what Andy had said moments earlier. 'At least I did not have to witness his immediate reaction last time.'

Prue slumped down on the sofa next to Piper.

'Prue, Andy will accept it, like he did the first time around,' said Piper. 'He loves you and that is what counts.'

Prue sighed. 'I don't know if he will.'

'He will,' said Phoebe.

'Your relationship will survive this, Prue,' said Paige.

Prue smiled weakly. 'Thank you. If you don't mind, I would like to be by myself.'

'I will show you to the spare room,' said Phoebe.

'You don't have a spare room…' said Prue. 'When you babysat for Petey, he had to sleep on the sofa.'

'Oh, that was only because the spare room is cluttered with loads of unreturned library books about witchcraft,' said Phoebe. 'We checked them out when we first became witches and forgot to return them.'

'Hey! I knew nothing about those books. It was _you_ who checked them out and then forgot about them,' said Piper.

Phoebe laughed. 'Anyway, considering you know about magic now, you can help me move those books into a cupboard and then the room will be free for you to use.'

Prue shrugged. 'Okay then.'

Prue and Phoebe left the living room.

Piper turned to Paige and said, 'Do you think Leo will orb straight back here after he realises that Andy is back home?'

Paige blushed. 'Oh about that…'

'Leo knows that he won't have to continue babysitting because Andy will be back,' said Piper, not understanding Paige's response. 'Therefore he will orb back here right?'

'Well, you see, Leo is not at Andy's house…' said Paige, bracing herself for the response she was going to get when Piper knew the full issue.

'Leo left Petey by himself?' said Piper in surprise.

'No! Of course he would never do that,' said Paige. 'When I moaned at him for not helping us contact the Cleaners, Leo orbed off with Petey.'

Piper looked at Paige in disbelief. Piper looked Paige directly in the eyes, trying to tell if she was just kidding. When Piper realised that Paige was telling the honest truth, Piper let out a shriek.

'Leo is not there! He _refused_ to help us?' Piper said rhetorically. Piper looked at the ceiling and shouted from the bottom of her lungs, '_Leo_! _Leo, get down here now_! _Leo_!'

Prue and Phoebe came running into the living room. They had been alerted by the noise.

'Demon?' said Phoebe.

'Why is that always the first assumption in this family?' laughed Paige.

Piper had ignored Prue and Phoebe's entrance. Piper was still staring determinedly at the ceiling.

'_Leo_! _Leo_! _Get down here now and explain yourself_! _Now_!' shrieked Piper.

Piper stopped shouting in order to regain some breath. The whole room was in silence. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were staring at Piper, shocked by her raw emotion. The silence of the room allowed the four of them to hear a floorboard creak from the floor above. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged looks.

'Demon?' whispered Phoebe.

Piper shook her head. 'Frightened husband.'

Piper left the living room and made her way up the stairs. Phoebe and Paige were about to follow but Prue stopped them.

'If it is Leo, it is probably best to let the two of them talk alone,' said Prue.

Phoebe and Paige nodded.

* * *

Piper made her way into her bedroom. Inside, she found Leo standing on the far side. He was looking out of the window.

'Leo,' said Piper hoarsely. Her voice was a little rough from all the shouting she had done moments before.

Leo turned to face Piper. His expression was unreadable.

Piper noticed that Leo did not have Petey with him even though Paige had stated that he had orbed off with Petey. Therefore, Piper decided to start with that question.

'Where's Petey?' said Piper.

'Asleep in the guest room,' said Leo.

Piper nodded. 'Now we have that question out of the way… Why would you not help us contact the Cleaners?'

Leo shook his head. 'Not this again.'

'Excuse me, Leo? What did you think I wanted to talk to you about? Did you think I was screaming for you to come down just to say hi?' said Piper, her temper rising again.

Leo refused to answer. Instead he took a seat on the bed. Meanwhile, Piper walked around the room until she was standing right in front of Leo.

'Why would you not help us contact the Cleaners, Leo?' said Piper. 'I almost killed innocent people because my explosion powers decided to return! If you had gone straight to the Elders to get them to help contact the Cleaners, that incident would never have happened!'

Piper paused to take a deep breath. Those people were safe now. Even if the Cleaners had not undone that specific incident, Kyle had still healed those people in time to save them… but Kyle had only managed to do that because the Cleaners had frozen the scene…

Leo saw Piper's expression. He saw that she was distraught about what had happened. The memory would forever be hers. The 'what if' would always terrify her. Leo took Piper in his arms as she burst into tears. Piper sat on the bed next to Leo, as Leo held her tight.

'Piper…' muttered Leo.

* * *

'How long do you think they will be talking?' asked Phoebe.

It was getting late. Piper had been upstairs for almost an hour now. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were all getting quite tired.

'Well, I don't want to walk past Piper's room. It may disturb their conversation,' said Prue.

'I can orb each of us straight to our rooms,' said Paige. 'That way there won't be any chances of disturbing those two.'

Prue and Phoebe shrugged.

'Cosmic taxi it is,' smiled Paige.

Paige took Prue and Phoebe's hands. First she orbed them to the guest room. The first thing they noticed was Petey asleep on the bed of the guest room.

Phoebe pointed at Petey and said, 'I am pretty sure he was not in here an hour ago when I showed you this room.'

'He wasn't…' said Prue, staring at her son.

'Leo must have brought Petey with him,' said Paige. 'Do you want me to orb Petey home?'

Prue shook her head. 'I don't mind having Petey here. Petey being here gives Andy the entire night to think things through without distraction.'

Phoebe and Paige nodded. Paige took Phoebe's hand and orbed Phoebe to her room. Paige said good night to Phoebe before orbing to her own room.

* * *

Prue did not want to disturb her son who was fast asleep in the centre of the bed. Prue sat on a chair that was in the corner of the room. She curled up on it and closed her eyes, trying to get the image of Andy walking away from her out of her mind.

* * *

Phoebe lay wide awake in her room. She felt tired, but she was too alert to sleep. Phoebe pulled a watch out of her pocket. It was not hers. It was Prue's. Phoebe had pick pocketed it from Prue while they had been tidying the guest room earlier. Phoebe put the watch on. She had not taken it spitefully. She had taken it because she had wanted to use it to force a premonition, to learn more about the sister that she had never known before recently. Phoebe held the watch in her hand. No premonition was triggered. After a while, Phoebe decided to slide the watch onto her wrist and close her eyes…

* * *

Paige paced around her room. She kept thinking about Kyle. The way he treated her as if they were in a serious relationship… it freaked Paige out. She had never had a proper long term relationship before. Even though the events in her life had been different to the Paige from Kyle's universe, Kyle still knew Paige's habits and character flaws. What was even more confusing was that Paige did have feelings for Kyle, but she had not known him for long enough… had she?

* * *

Piper was the only one – except for Petey – in the manor that had managed to find sleep. She was curled into a ball on top of her bed. Leo leant against the window sill, staring at his wife.

After Piper's initial outburst of tears, Leo had continued to console her until she had fallen asleep. When she had fallen asleep, Leo had slowly stood up and gone over to the window sill. He had not moved since. Leo had been watching Piper sleep. It was easy to tell that Piper was not having a peaceful sleep. Leo could tell that Piper was wracked with guilt.

* * *

**A/N:** Leo's reasons for refusing to help will be found out in the next chapter. The next update is a week away. A week gives me a chance to write the next chapter. The update will not be any sooner than a week. Please review this chapter!


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** This chapter is basically the following morning to the events of the previous chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

Piper opened her eyes. Her sight was blurry. Her eyes needed to adjust to the light. She could see a blurred figure standing in front of a square of light. Piper blinked a few times to try and get her eyes to focus. Soon the blurred figure became the image of Leo leaning up against the window sill. Leo was staring at Piper.

Piper slowly sat up. Her left arm was aching and slightly red. She must have slept on top of it. Leo sat down next to Piper and hovered his hand over her arm. A golden glow was emitted from his hand. Piper felt the pain disappear; the redness also vanished.

'Healing for something so trivial? Isn't that against the rules?' said Piper quietly.

Leo looked Piper directly in the eyes and said, 'I don't care about their rules.'

Piper was shocked to hear Leo say something like that. Except for his blatant disregard to the Elders when it had come to Piper and Leo's forbidden romance, Leo had never said anything against the Elders before.

'Leo, what happened between you and the Elders that is stopping you from going up there?' asked Piper gently.

Leo sighed. 'When I last went up there, I…' Leo trailed off, unsure how to express his problem.

'The last time you went up there… You told me that they had called you up there because they wanted you out of the way while we vanquished the Source…' uttered Piper.

Leo closed his eyes and shook his head. 'That was not the only reason.'

Piper took Leo's hand and squeezed it. Leo opened his eyes.

'Leo, please tell me, what is wrong? Are they threatening to clip your wings if you go back up there? Have you been banished from Elderland?' said Piper.

Leo let out a small chuckle at Piper's nickname for the place. Piper smiled weakly, happy to see Leo laugh a little bit.

'Sorry, I was sick of saying 'up there' all the time,' said Piper.

Leo frowned again. 'Piper, the Elders are not mad at me. In fact, they want me to go back up there. That is the problem.'

'You have never let them calling you before stop you from going up there…' said Piper, not following Leo's line of thought.

'That is because their reason for wanting me to return has never been this reason,' said Leo.

'Leo, what is wrong?' said Piper seriously. 'Please tell me.'

'Piper, the Elders are waiting for me to give them an answer to a question,' said Leo.

'Leo, what was the question?' asked Piper worriedly.

Leo lay down on the bed, so as he was staring at the ceiling. Piper lay down next to him and hugged him.

'Please tell me,' said Piper.

Leo sighed. 'The Elders asked me whether I would quit my role as a white lighter so as I could become an Elder.'

* * *

'Mummy!'

Prue opened her eyes. At first she did not recognise where she was. Then she remembered the events of the previous night. She looked over to the bed where Petey was sitting. He was smiling at her.

Slowly Prue stood up from the chair she had slept on. She went and sat on the edge of the bed. Petey crawled over to her and hugged her.

'Mummy, where are we?' asked Petey.

'You remember the three nice ladies that babysat for you?' said Prue.

Petey nodded.

'Well this is one of the rooms in their house,' said Prue.

'Ma-nah!' said Petey. 'Not house. Ma-nah!

'Aaww,' said Prue, thinking that it was adorable that her son knew that the house was known as a manor.

'I want food,' said Petey abruptly.

'Petey, it is only…' Prue paused to look at her wrist for the time. That is when she noticed that her watch was not there. 'Where did my watch go?'

Prue stood up and looked out the window. The sun was up but pretty low in the sky. It was still quite early. The manor was also quite quiet still. She could not hear any noise in the manor, so she assumed that no one else was awake yet.

'Hold on a couple of hours, honey,' said Prue. 'We don't want to wake the others.'

'Food!' said Petey.

'Sshh,' said Prue softly.

* * *

_Phoebe was in a taxi. The taxi was driving over the Golden Gate Bridge on its way into San Francisco. Phoebe looked out at the scenery. It was pouring with rain outside. It would not be long until she returned home._

_Eventually the taxi pulled up outside the manor on Prescott Street. Phoebe got out of the taxi and realised she had no money on her. Phoebe asked the taxi driver to hold on a few minutes. Phoebe went up the manor steps and entered._

_Piper greeted her. A short haired Prue stared at her angrily. Prue did not want Phoebe to be returning home. There was something about an argument between Prue and Phoebe about someone named Roger._

_Piper ran outside with Prue's purse to pay for the taxi cab. The tension between Prue and Phoebe in the foyer was cold. Phoebe decided to hide away in her room rather than staying downstairs where she would be patronised by Prue._

_Later that evening, Phoebe was playing with the old spirit board in the conservatory. She asked it a question about Prue's… relationship habits. The pointer began to move on its own. C. Attic._

_That evening there was a power cut. While Prue and Piper wanted to go down to the basement to switch the circuit breaker on, Phoebe wanted to go up to the attic. Phoebe entered the attic by herself. She found the trunk… She found the Book of Shadows… She found the Power of Three incantation… She read the incantation out loud._

_The following day Phoebe was riding her bike when she had a premonition of two boys getting hit by a car. Phoebe rode in the way of the car to save the two boys. Prue came to see her in the hospital later that day. Phoebe was not badly hurt and was released later that afternoon. Phoebe spent the afternoon trying to convince Prue that she had the power over telekinesis._

_Prue, Piper, and Phoebe fought many demons and warlocks together over the next few years. Each of their powers advanced rapidly. Prue had telekinesis and astral projection. Piper had her freezing power, and towards the end of the third year Piper got the power to explode. Phoebe had the power of premonition, and at the beginning of the third year, she received the power of levitation._

_Towards the end of the third year, 2001, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe came face to face with the Source's personal assassin. Prue and Piper wounded him badly, but were caught on film using their magic. Phoebe did not know this and deserted her sisters to try and save Cole._

_Prue and Piper tried to keep their innocent safe even though they were in the media spotlight and reporters would not let them be. Piper got shot by a manic witch wannabe. Prue rushed Piper to the hospital. Piper… she did not make it._

_Time was reversed by the demon Tempus. However because Phoebe, Cole, and Leo were still down in the underworld, there was no one to save Prue and Piper from the assassin._

_Prue was thrown through the wall and knocked unconscious. Piper was thrown through the same wall and knocked unconscious. Their innocent was thrown at the window. The demon assassin left the manor in tatters._

_Eventually when Phoebe and Leo escaped from the underworld (Cole staid behind to slow down any demons on their trail), they found that they were too late to save Prue. Prue, the eldest Charmed One, was dead. The Power of Three was broken._

CRASH!

Phoebe sat up in bed trying to catch her breath. Her dream had been so strange… It was almost as if her memories of the past three years with Piper and Paige did not exist. Instead, the same past three years had existed with Prue, Piper, and Phoebe as the Power of Three… Where had Paige been throughout all of that time?

Phoebe felt something on her wrist. She looked at her wrist. She had fallen asleep while wearing Prue's watch. Had her dream been a premonition of the past? A premonition of an alternate past?

Phoebe heard two pairs of feet run past her room. Suddenly Phoebe remembered what had woken her up. There had been a loud bang.

Phoebe got out of bed and ran out into the corridor. Prue was running towards Piper's room. Petey was stumbling after his mother. Phoebe caught up with Petey and picked him up. Carrying Petey, Phoebe followed Prue to Piper's door. Slowly Prue knocked on the door. When there was no reply, Prue pushed the door open.

Piper was lying on her bedroom floor in the debris of where her bed was supposed to be. Piper was not hurt but she did look shocked.

'Demon?' said Prue, wondering what had caused the wreckage.

Piper slowly got to her feet and shook her head.

Phoebe laughed. 'Looks like the family trait of assuming demon all the time is easy to catch.'

Prue ignored Phoebe's attempt at humour. Prue was worried about what had happened in Piper's room.

'Piper, what happened?' asked Prue.

'Leo told me… He told me what his problem was…' said Piper.

'What is it?' asked Phoebe.

'The Elders want him to become one of them,' said Piper.

'So you blew him and your bed up in anger?' said Phoebe puzzled.

'No!' said Piper. 'I blew him and my bed up in complete surprise. I don't understand why. I used to have such control over my explosion powers.'

'Your explosion powers work on emotion,' said Phoebe. 'Obviously your emotions were running high when Leo told you the truth.'

Blue orbs began to culminate in the far corner of the room. They formed the figure of a man before revealing Leo.

Piper ran over to Leo and hugged him.

'Leo! I did not mean to do that to you!' said Piper.

'I know,' said Leo smiling. 'You were shocked.'

'Do you want to become an Elder?' Phoebe asked Leo.

Leo looked away from Piper to Phoebe. 'Phoebe, if I wanted to become an Elder, I would not be avoiding them right now.'

Phoebe nodded.

'When do they expect an answer by?' asked Piper.

'I was supposed to answer them right away,' said Leo. 'However I orbed straight back down here and have not been up there since.'

Phoebe smiled. 'Leo, I never expected you to be so anti-Elder.'

'If I accept the role, I will never be able to see Piper again,' said Leo. 'I would never let that happen.'

Piper hugged Leo close, happy that they were in agreement with one another over the matter.

Prue noticed that someone was missing.

'Where is Paige?' asked Prue. 'I would have thought the commotion would have woken her up too?'

Phoebe tensed as she remembered her dream. Where was Paige?

A glint of light was caught in the corner of Prue's eye. She looked to see what had caused it. The glint of light had come from Phoebe's wrist. Something on Phoebe's wrist was reflecting the light from the window.

Prue furrowed her brows. 'Phoebe, is that my watch?'

Phoebe blushed. 'Is it? I… er… I found it on the floor last night and… er… put it on without thinking…' Phoebe quickly took the watch off and gave it to Prue.

'So where is Paige?' said Piper.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo made their way across the corridor to Paige's room. Phoebe stood back as Prue, Piper, and Leo entered Paige's bedroom. In Phoebe's dream, Paige's room had originally been Piper's bedroom, but when Piper had married Leo, Prue had switched rooms with Piper. Therefore, Paige's bedroom was Prue's bedroom near the end of Phoebe's dream just before Prue had met her fate…

Petey poked Phoebe's cheek. Phoebe came out of her thoughts and looked at Petey who was staring at her. Phoebe readjusted Petey in her arms as one of her arms was beginning to ache. Phoebe smiled at Petey, trying to reassure him that she was okay even though she was not.

Prue, Piper, and Leo left Paige's room and closed the door behind them.

'Is she in there?' asked Phoebe.

'No,' said Piper. 'She left no note either.'

'Where is Paige?' muttered Phoebe.

* * *

Paige paced around the corridor outside the office. What was she going to say to him? How was she going to introduce herself? How different would he be?

Thoughts of how white lighter Kyle had treated her the day before had kept her up all night. He knew things about Paige that even Paige did not know yet. He knew her more than she knew herself. Paige did not like how much he knew about her in comparison to how much she knew about him. That was about to change.

Paige took a deep breath and entered the office. Many agents sat at their desks. They looked up when Paige walked in. Paige looked from desk to desk until she found the person she had been looking for. Paige sat down on the seat opposite the man. He did not look up from his paperwork.

'Wait one minute,' he said to Paige, as he finished scrawling something on his paper.

A snow globe on the desk caught Paige's eye. Paige picked it up and examined it.

'Could you put that down please? It has sentimental value.'

Paige put the snow globe back on the desk. The man was looking at her now.

'How may I help you?' asked the man. 'I have never seen you before. Which sector are you from?'

Paige smiled. 'I am not an FBI agent.'

'CIA?' said the man.

Paige shook her head.

'Homeland security?'

Paige shook her head.

'Police?'

Paige shook her head.

The man frowned. 'How did you get past security?'

Paige had orbed straight into the corridor outside this specific FBI office. Therefore she had not had the trouble of figuring out how to pass security at the main entrance to the building.

'Never mind that,' said Paige. 'You and I need to talk.'

'Who are you?' said the man.

'You don't need to know who I am,' said Paige. 'I prefer it this way round. The tables are turned, Kyle Brody.'

Kyle was not stunned that Paige knew his name. His name was practically written all over his desk.

'If you do not identify yourself, I will have to call security,' said Kyle.

'I already came through security, remember?' said Paige. 'Don't you think they would have stopped me if I was not supposed to be here?'

'They would have only let you through if you had I.D. of some sort, so show me it,' said Kyle.

'I obviously have one, or I would not be here, so I do not need to show it to you,' said Paige.

'Look,' said Kyle, getting a little aggravated. 'I have work to do here, so if you are not going to answer me, then just leave.'

Paige sighed. She had only been teasing him, but he seemed to have gotten annoyed quite quickly.

'Kyle, I actually came here because I need to talk to you,' said Paige, hoping he would not start up the whole 'tell me who you are' charade again.

'You need to speak to me specifically?' asked Kyle.

Paige nodded.

'We have never met,' said Kyle.

'You are the only person who can help me,' said Paige seriously.

'How?' said Kyle. 'Why me in particular?'

Paige sighed. She needed to say something to gain his trust faster without making it look like she was some randomer trying to flirt with him. She wanted to get the chance to talk to this Kyle, to get to know Kyle, so as when she next spoke to white lighter Kyle, she would know more about him. Then it clicked, she knew what to say.

'I have information on the avatars,' said Paige.

'The what?' said Kyle, confused.

Paige frowned. Maybe this Kyle did not know what they were called yet?

'Some sort of new power…' said Paige.

'The New Power? They are called avatars?' said Kyle. His eyes widening.

Paige nodded.

'You know about them?' said Kyle.

'And I know that you do too,' said Paige.

'Let's go for a coffee,' said Kyle.

Kyle stood up and walked out of the office with Paige. He took her to a local café and bought them both a coffee. Once they were sitting down, Kyle looked at Paige, forgetting all about his coffee.

'So what do you know about the… avatars?' Kyle asked Paige.

'Nothing, actually,' said Paige. 'It does not matter anyway. A friend of mine is dealing with them.'

'What? No! I have to deal with them!' shouted Kyle. He quickly calmed down when he noticed other people in the café staring at him.

'No, you don't,' said Paige.

'Yes I do. They killed my parents,' said Kyle.

Paige's smile vanished. 'What?'

'When I was little, the avatars killed my parents,' said Kyle.

This explained why white lighter Kyle was so determined to get rid of the avatars before they had a chance to resurface in this universe.

Paige gulped. 'Tell me more about your childhood.'

With that, Kyle started to tell Paige about his childhood. Paige's plan to learn more about Kyle was working.

A man approached their table interrupting Kyle mid-conversation.

'Excuse me, but there is a phone call for a Miss Matthews,' said the man.

Kyle looked at Paige. 'Is that you?'

Paige had forgotten that she had not told Kyle her name yet. However, Paige knew that this was not her last name. She shook her head.

'Sorry, you have the wrong table,' said Paige.

The man frowned. 'Er, I meant Miss Halliwell.'

Paige furrowed her brows. She looked at the man. He seemed determined to get her attention. Was he a demon? A warlock? A dark lighter?

'Give me a minute, Kyle. I will be right back,' said Paige.

Kyle smiled as Paige stood up. 'At least I know one thing about you now. I know your last name.'

Paige laughed. 'You won't be finding out anything more.'

Paige followed the man to the other side of the café where the payphone was.

'We both know that no one called me,' said Paige seriously. 'Who are you?'

'Come into the alleyway with me then,' sneered the man.

'Your funeral,' said Paige.

Paige followed the man into the alleyway. Paige looked up at him. His form changed into… Kyle.

'Kyle?' said Paige in shock.

White lighter Kyle had used his glamouring power.

'Your favourite white lighter,' said Kyle. 'I cannot believe you went to find my past self just to get information on me.'

Paige shrugged. 'I hate that you know more about me than I know about you.'

'Paige, all you had to do was ask me,' said Kyle.

'No. I had to ask him,' sighed Paige.

'Paige, why do you feel so distant to me?' asked Kyle.

'I don't. The fact that I was speaking to a different you a few moments ago proves that,' said Paige.

'That man sitting in the café is a completely different person to me,' said Kyle. 'We share the same past, but his future will be different to the more recent part of my past.'

Paige sighed. She said nothing.

'Paige, what do you have against the white lighter version of me?' asked Kyle.

Without answering, Paige orbed to the manor.

* * *

**A/N:** White lighter Kyle and his silly mistakes. The Matthews last name does not exist in this fan fiction. The Leo being an Elder thing is a year early, yes, but I thought I would get it in now. This is not going along with the canon chain of events anyway. Please review.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. Towards the end of this chapter, you will notice a specific season one episode plot working its way in.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

Prue slowly picked up the telephone. Slowly she dialled a number. She waited for Andy to answer.

Piper, Leo, and Petey passed her on their way into the kitchen. Piper gave Prue a reassuring smile. Leo nodded supportively. Petey stumbled after Piper and Leo as the prospect of breakfast was on his mind.

The phone continued to make a ringing noise as Prue waited for Andy to pick up. The ringing stopped.

'Hello?'

'Andy?'

'Prue?'

'How are you?'

'I don't want to speak to you.'

'What?'

'No, I meant, not over the phone. I want to speak to you in person.'

'Oh. Do you want me to come home?'

'No. I will meet you at the manor.'

'Okay. Hurry.'

'I will. See you soon.'

'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Prue put the phone down. She stood still. Andy wanted to talk to her in person. He still loved her. He had gotten over the shock of the news. Now all she had to do was wait to see him again.

* * *

Leo was leaning against the kitchen counter. Piper was standing next to him. Petey sat at the kitchen table, eating some breakfast cereal.

'Leo, we both know that you don't want to do this, so go up there and tell them that you don't want to be one of them,' said Piper.

Leo sighed. 'I don't know if it is that simple. I think they expect me to answer yes.'

'Well, go up there and prove them wrong,' said Piper.

The kitchen filled with blue and white orbs. Paige had orbed in and was now sitting at the kitchen table with her head slumped on the table.

'Paige, are you okay?' asked Piper.

Leo remained by the kitchen counter while Piper went over to sit down next to her youngest sister.

Paige lifted her head up to look at Piper. 'Yeah, I am okay… I just… It's just…'

'Kyle?' suggested Piper.

'Him. He won't go away,' said Paige. 'We called him here for help yesterday and now he won't leave. Why doesn't he go away?'

'Maybe because he does not want to,' said Piper.

'What are you trying to say?' asked Paige.

'You know what I am trying to say,' said Piper matter-of-factly.

'Kyle likes me,' said Paige. 'I know.'

'And you like him back,' said Piper.

Paige scowled. 'How can you insinuate that?'

Piper smiled. 'I know.'

* * *

Phoebe paced the attic. Her sleep premonition had been bothering her all day. In another world, Prue had been their eldest sister. Prue had died. This detail troubled Phoebe. What if Prue was still destined to die in this world too?

Phoebe took another deep breath and called for Kyle for the umpteenth time.

'Kyle!'

Phoebe had been calling him for the past hour or so. Not so surprisingly, he had not been responding. Phoebe realised that he only ever tended to listen out for calls from Paige, but she needed to ask him a few things about the world he had come from, about Prue Halliwell's position in it. Her premonition dream still worried her.

'Kyle!'

Phoebe jumped in shock as the attic filled with blue and white orbs. Kyle appeared in the attic.

'You called?' said Kyle, wondering how quickly he could get this conversation over with before finding Paige, who he assumed had orbed to the manor.

'Kyle, I need to talk about the universe you came from,' said Phoebe. 'You keep mentioning adventures between Piper, Paige, and me. However, you also said you knew of Prue. What happened?'

Kyle frowned. His desire to finish the conversation and ditch the attic so quickly vanished. This was a serious topic, even if he was never there in person and only knew about what happened secondarily.

* * *

Prue had not joined the others in the kitchen after the phone call. She had decided to go and sit in the living room while she waited for Andy to turn up.

Piper, Paige, and Leo exited the kitchen, making their way into the living room as they talked. Paige was carrying Petey.

'Leo, orb up there now, and tell them no,' said Piper. 'Then all this anxiety of them remote orbing you up there will be gone.'

'I can't,' said Leo. 'What if they clip my wings totally?'

'Then let them if you want that,' said Piper.

'I don't,' said Leo.

'Then why not just not go up? Drop off their radar totally?' suggested Paige.

'The only way to do that would be to refuse using my powers and ignore my charges' calls for help,' said Leo. 'That would be worse than having my wings clipped.'

'Kyle has managed to appear in this universe and stay under their radar while still using his abilities for good,' said Paige.

'That's true,' said Piper. 'Kyle!'

'Really? We are going to him for advice?' said Leo.

'Yes,' said Piper. 'Kyle! Okay, he won't listen to me. Paige?'

Paige sighed. 'Do we have to?'

'You brought him up,' said Piper.

'Yes, but as a suggestion. I don't want to be the one to call him,' said Paige.

'He won't listen to my call,' said Piper.

Paige gave Petey to Prue, who had been listening quietly from the sofa. Paige then orbed out.

Piper frowned. 'She's stubborn. Kyle!'

'Yes?' said Kyle, walking into the room, joined by Phoebe.

'You were upstairs the whole time?' said Piper.

Kyle nodded. 'What do you want?'

'Leo, go with Kyle. Explain everything,' said Piper.

Leo nodded. Puzzled, Kyle followed Leo into the foyer before the two of them orbed out.

Piper and Phoebe joined Prue on the sofa.

'What were you doing upstairs with Kyle?' Piper asked Phoebe.

Phoebe looked disgusted at Piper's insinuation. 'Talking!'

Piper's expression became serious. 'About what?'

'Er, doesn't matter. He told me what I needed to know,' said Phoebe. Phoebe turned to Prue. 'Prue, how did your phone call with Andy go?'

Prue smiled. 'Andy is on his way over right now.'

Piper and Phoebe smiled.

Paige orbed back into the living room. 'Is the coast clear?'

'You know it is, Paige,' said Piper.

Paige shrugged, and squeezed onto the same sofa as her sisters.

The doorbell rang.

Prue stood up, Petey still in her arms. She went over to the door. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige followed her. The grandfather clock was about to strike twelve for midday. Noticing this, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged worried looks.

'What's the date?' Piper said to Phoebe.

'I have not been keeping track,' said Phoebe.

'You don't think it's..?' said Paige.

Prue opened the door as the clock began to strike twelve.

Piper stuck her hand outdoors to freeze the visitor on the doorstep. It was not Andy… It was…

Phoebe sighed. 'How could we forget that today was today?'

Prue opened the front door completely to look at the man.

'Er, who is he?' asked Prue, slightly annoyed that it had not been Andy at the door.

'Grams' admirer,' explained Piper. 'He turns up every year with flowers for her.'

'I thought you said that your Grams is dead,' said Prue.

'She is,' said Paige. 'We have never had the guts to tell this guy that.'

'Really? You three fight demons on a daily basis yet you cannot tell an old man that your Grams is no longer alive?' said Prue.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige refused to make any eye contact with Prue in their embarrassment.

'Piper, unfreeze him,' said Prue. 'I will tell him.'

'Really?' said Piper. 'Are you sure?'

'Well, he has to hear it,' said Prue. 'You three are obviously too chicken.'

'I am not a chicken!' said Paige.

'Then you tell him,' said Phoebe.

'Okay, I may be a slight chicken,' said Paige.

'Exactly,' said Phoebe.

Piper flicked her wrists. The man unfroze. The man smiled.

'Only five chimes,' he said.

'Excuse me?' said Prue.

'It is noon, yet your clock only chimed five times,' said the man.

'What?' said Piper.

'Finally, it has happened,' said the man.

'Huh?' said Phoebe.

'It took you long enough to reveal your true selves… your true powers,' said the man.

'I'm sorry?' said Paige.

The man sneered. 'Call me Nicholas. Your mother did.'

Nicholas pointed his ring at the four Halliwells. They could feel the effect that the ring was having on them. Nicholas started gloating about the pact that he had made with Patty about receiving the powers of the Charmed Ones, how Patty had given him immunity to their powers, and how his ring caused their blood to boil. They would die unless they gave him their powers.

Then Nicholas frowned. 'Why are there four of you and a kid?'

In this brief pause, Phoebe kicked Nicholas in the leg, knocking him to the ground. With his ring no longer focused on them, the Halliwells were able to regain some energy. The four of them grabbed hands, and Paige orbed them to the attic, away from Nicholas.

Phoebe locked the attic door and then joined Piper by the Book. Prue – still holding Petey – and Paige started telekinetically moving and telekinetically orbing attic objects to the door to barricade it. They knew that Nicholas would soon be on his way up. Piper and Phoebe were flicking through the Book for a spell to help them.

'Mum knew about this pact. She made it,' said Piper. 'Surely she left something in the Book to help us.'

Piper paused to look up at what Prue and Paige had been doing. Phoebe continued flicking through the Book of Shadows.

'Er, you two do remember that Nicholas is a warlock. A barricaded door won't stop him. He can just blink in,' said Piper.

'Don't blame me,' said Prue. 'I am new to this.'

'Er, I panicked,' said Paige.

'I got it!' said Phoebe.

Prue, Piper, and Paige turned to Phoebe. Phoebe was looking at a page in the Book.

'There is a spell: To unbind a bond,' said Phoebe.

'We don't have a choice,' said Piper. 'Hurry up and do it.'

They could hear hurried footsteps from outside the attic. Nicholas was on his way.

Phoebe took a deep breath and began to recite:

'_The bond which was not to be done,_

_Give us the power to see it undone,_

_And turn back time to whence it was begun_.'

Sparkling lights surrounded them. Other than that, it was not much different. They still stood in the attic. The furniture that Prue and Paige had barricaded against the door was no longer there. There were other changes in the attic – ones not as noticeable, but they were apparent. Something was different.

'Did it work? We are in the attic, right?' said Paige.

'Yes, but when? You heard the spell,' said Phoebe.

'When? You can time travel with magic?' said Prue.

Prue placed Petey on the floor, so as she could begin to explore the strange new (old?) objects in the attic.

'Apparently so,' said Piper.

'Who goes out the door first?' said Phoebe.

'You should go,' said Piper. 'You said the spell.'

'No, Paige should go,' said Phoebe. 'She can orb back here if there is trouble.'

Paige's eyes widened. 'No no no. Prue should go.'

Prue sighed. 'I won't take part in this pushing the blame onto another thing, but I will say this: Haven't you always lived here? Throughout the decades, hasn't this house always belonged to your family? Therefore you should easily be able to explain to whoever is out there who you are and what has happened?'

'You never met Grams,' said Piper. 'If she is out there, she won't be that easy to convince.'

'Er, Prue, where is Petey?' asked Phoebe.

Prue noticed that Petey was no longer on the floor. She then noticed that the attic door was ajar.

* * *

Petey stumbled down the stairs into the living room. In the living room were two little girls: One was around five and the other was almost two.

The two girls noticed Petey.

'Who are you?' asked the five year old.

'Petey,' said Petey. 'You?'

The five year old girl frowned. 'Piper.'

'Feebee!' said one year old Phoebe.

'I know people with those names,' said Petey.

'Really?' said little Piper. 'My name?'

Petey nodded.

'Want to play hide and seek?' said Phoebe.

'Sure,' said Petey.

'Wait,' said little Piper. 'Phoebe, we don't know who he is or why he is here!'

'I told you! I am Petey!' said Petey crossly.

'Piper, you count. Me and Petey hide!' said little Phoebe, not worried by the lack of reason for Petey's being at the manor.

Little Phoebe took Petey's arm and they ran out of the living room.

'Where do you want to hide?' little Phoebe asked Petey.

Petey thought over the rooms in the manor that he knew of. 'Under the table in the kitchen?'

Little Phoebe took a deep breath and her eyes closed. After a few seconds, she let out a breath and opened her eyes.

Little Phoebe shook her head. 'I had a premon – a premon – a premonmission. I saw Piper finding you under the table.'

'Okay, not hiding there then,' said Petey.

Petey stopped running with little Phoebe.

'Why did you stop?' asked little Phoebe. 'We have to hide.'

'You have premon – premon – premononons?' said Petey. 'The Phoebe I know has those too!'

'Really? Cool!' said little Phoebe.

'Yeah,' said Petey.

'So where are you hiding?' asked little Phoebe.

'The attic?' said Petey.

Little Phoebe grabbed Petey's arm in order to try for a premonition. It worked. When she came out of her premonition, little Phoebe grimaced.

'Piper! Piper!' little Phoebe said, running back towards the living room. Petey followed her.

Little Piper sighed when little Phoebe ran in calling her name followed by Petey.

'Phoebe, this is not how hide and seek works!' said little Piper. 'You hide and I find you, not you hide and then you find me!'

'No, Piper! I had a premon thingy!' said little Phoebe. 'There are four people in the attic!'

'Oh! That was it?' said Petey, not worried at all.

'Do you know who they were?' little Piper asked little Phoebe, ignoring Petey.

'No!' said little Phoebe. 'Do we tell Grams?'

'No,' said little Piper. 'We play detective.'

Little Phoebe grinned. 'Yay!'

Little Piper and little Phoebe began to make their way up the stairs. Petey followed.

'I know who they are!' said Petey.

'Shush!' said little Phoebe. 'They will hear us!'

'No,' said Petey. 'I can tell you who they are.'

'Don't ruin our detective game,' moaned little Phoebe.

* * *

'Shut the door! I hear someone coming!' whispered Piper.

Phoebe shut the attic door.

'We have to be quiet,' whispered Paige. 'I don't think it looks good if Grams finds us in the attic.'

'What about Petey?' whispered Prue. 'We need to find him.'

'We will,' whispered Piper. 'I think we would have known by now if someone had noticed him.'

'What would your Grams do if a toddler suddenly turned up in the manor?' whispered Prue.

'Yell at Phoebe and Paige until they tell her where he came from,' replied Piper.

'Hey! Billy Wilson's little brother followed me home that one time, okay? He followed me and I did not know,' said Phoebe crossly.

'Shush! Someone's at the door,' said Paige.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stared at the attic door. The attic door exploded.

* * *

**A/N:** Who are we blaming for the exploding attic door? Piper or..? Demon? I am glad that Petey got to star in a scene without Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, or Cole for once. Please review.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** I had to read over my first two chapters of this fan fiction to make sure that I do not write in any continuity errors to this. According to what I wrote in my first chapter, Patty only bound Piper, Phoebe, and Paige's powers after Paige was born because the Elders had found out. Sam was also forced to clip his wings. In my second chapter, I wrote that Patty and Sam both died when attempting to vanquish the water demon at the camp. Therefore _P3H20_ would never have involved a comeback from Sam, so the last time that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige saw either Patty or Sam was when they were little - that is except for when they would have seen Patty at Piper's wedding. With that out of the way, let's start this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

The attic and attic steps were filled with smoke. Therefore the four attic inhabitants could not see the three figures at the door; nor could the three figures at the door see the four attic inhabitants.

'Piper, you blew up the door!' said little Phoebe.

'Why are you blaming me, Phoebe, and why are you putting on a voice?' asked Piper.

'I am not putting on a voice! You are!' said little Phoebe.

'No, I am not! Phoebe, what is it with the childish voice?' asked Piper.

'Nothing, that was not me,' said Phoebe. 'Besides Piper, why did you blow up the door?'

'I did not –' Piper began but was interrupted.

'I didn't, Phoebe! Why are you blaming me?' moaned little Piper.

'Who else did it, Piper? Now who is putting on the childish voice?' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe, you have a weird voice now,' said little Piper.

'I don't, Piper,' said Phoebe.

'Can Piper just admit to blowing up the attic door so as we don't have to freak out about the possibility that there could be a demon in the attic?' said Paige.

'A demon could have blown up the door?' said Prue.

'I am hoping there is not one here,' said Paige.

'Who is that?' asked little Piper.

'Me? Piper, it's me. Stop with the weird voice,' said Paige.

'Me? Who is _me_?' said little Piper.

'I think we need this smoke to clear,' said Prue.

'Mummy! Are you there still?' said Petey.

'Petey? Where are you?' said Prue.

'With Piper and Phoebe,' said Petey.

'You know the intruders?' said little Piper to Petey.

'I told you I do,' said Petey.

'The intruders? Why are you calling us that, Piper? And please stop with the childish voice,' said Paige.

'I am not putting on a vo –' little Piper began but she was interrupted.

'I am not putting on a voice, Paige,' said Piper.

'Who said that? I didn't say that!' said little Piper.

'Do you think the intruders are copying us badly?' said little Phoebe.

'I think you are mimicking us terribly, actually,' said Phoebe. 'Who are you?'

'Why won't this smoke clear?' said Paige irritably.

'Petey, come here!' said Prue.

'I can't see you,' said Petey.

'Don't move, Petey,' said little Piper. 'These people might be demons.'

'They are my family,' said Petey.

'Then why do two of them sound like us?' said little Phoebe.

'I don't know, but two of them have your two names,' said Petey.

'Er, Petey, what are their names?' asked Piper, as she had heard him say this to his two new friends.

'Piper and Phoebe,' said Petey.

'Why did you tell them our names?' moaned little Piper.

'Phoebe, we are talking to ourselves,' said Piper.

'Hey, Phoebe. How old are you?' asked Phoebe.

'Almost two!' said little Phoebe.

'One? Am I born yet?' asked Paige.

'I don't know,' said little Phoebe.

'Of course you are born or you would not be standing in this room talking to us,' said little Piper, who did not know about the time travel part.

'I was not asking you two, Piper or Phoebe. I was asking my Piper or Phoebe,' said Paige.

'Who are you talking to, Paige?' asked Phoebe. 'Me or little Phoebe?'

'You obviously!' said Paige. 'We need this smoke to clear!'

'Wait, wait, wait! Can we just clear up who blew the door open?' said Piper. 'It definitely was not me.'

'It was Piper,' said little Phoebe. 'She keeps doing it. Mum and Grams have to keep replacing doors because Piper refuses to open them.'

Little Piper grumbled.

'What? You have powers? I don't remember having powers before 1998!' Piper pointed out.

'How bad were our memories that we forgot this?' said Phoebe, frowning.

Changing the subject, Paige said, 'So if Phoebe is one –' Paige was interrupted.

'Almost two!' said little Phoebe.

'Fine. If Phoebe is almost two, then it must be 1977. Hey Piper, Phoebe: Do you have a sister?' asked Paige.

'No, but Mummy is pregnant,' said little Phoebe. 'I want a little brother!'

'Too bad,' said Paige.

'How do you know it won't be a boy?' said little Piper. 'Phoebe is the psychic one.'

'We know you will have a little sister,' said Paige.

'We definitely know,' said Piper.

'Without a doubt,' agreed Phoebe.

The smoke had not cleared yet, so no one could see anyone else. The room filled with the blue glow of someone orbing.

Piper sighed. 'Where did Paige orb off to now?'

'What do you mean, Piper?' said Paige. 'I am still standing right here.'

'Then who orbed?' asked Prue.

'I did,' said a voice.

Paige's eyes widened in shock, and although she could not see the man who that voice belonged to, she recognised it.

'Dad..?' said Paige. Her voice was a little hoarse. With the few memories she had of him resurfacing, tears were trying to force their way out of her. She maintained some control though.

'What did you call me?' said the voice.

Piper and Phoebe both gasped, suddenly recognising the voice after Paige's exclamation.

'Uncle Sam?' said Piper.

'Hey! He is our Uncle Sam! Not yours!' shouted little Piper.

The smoke was finally beginning to clear.

Standing in the attic in the middle of the circle that was formed by Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Petey, little Piper, and little Phoebe was Sam Wilder.

The last time Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had seen Sam Wilder was when they were little. In fact, the last time that they saw him was the same day as they last saw their mother alive.

Piper and Phoebe were stunned to see Sam again – a Sam that still had his white lighter powers, the Sam that was still looking after them alongside their mother. Paige was even more taken aback than Piper and Phoebe. The father that she had lost when she was very little was standing right in front of her. Meanwhile, to Prue this man meant no one. All she figured was that he had the same powers as Leo.

Little Piper and little Phoebe ran over to Sam, hugging him. They stared at the four intruders in the attic. Petey ran over to Prue. Prue took him up in her arms.

'Who are you?' Sam asked the four intruders.

Paige was still too shell shocked to speak. Piper and Phoebe would have spoken up, but found their younger selves staring at them quite off putting.

Therefore, Prue spoke up. 'I don't know who you are, but these two –' Prue paused to point at Piper and Phoebe '– are those two –' Prue paused to point at little Piper and little Phoebe '– from the future. If you don't believe me then you need to have your eyes checked because it is so easy to see the similarity.'

'Prue, don't talk to him that way!' said Paige, finally finding her way out of her shock. 'He is my father!'

Prue looked from Paige to Sam, making the connection. Sam had gone pale.

'If those two are an older Piper and Phoebe, and you think I am your father… That makes you… Patty is pregnant with you right now…' said Sam, staring at Paige.

Little Piper made a face at Paige, furrowing her brows. 'You are too old to be our little sister.'

Little Phoebe's mind had wandered during the conversation between the adults, but when little Piper had spoken up, little Phoebe had paid attention. Therefore little Phoebe suddenly looked at Paige.

'I am not stooooopid. You are not our little brother or sister,' said little Phoebe.

Phoebe laughed. 'I agree with you on the Paige not being 'our little brother' part.'

'She is not our little sister either! She is too old!' said little Piper to Phoebe.

Paige shook her head. 'Is there no getting through to your younger versions?'

While Phoebe, Paige, little Piper, and little Phoebe were having this conversation, Sam Prue, Piper, and Petey were continuing with another conversation: 'So you believe that we are who we say we are?' said Piper, who had not expected the persuasion to be so simple.

'I am a white lighter. I would have been able to have sensed if you were evil. On the very least, I know that you are not a threat,' said Sam. 'I don't see why you would be lying. Besides, she pointed out how much you and Phoebe look like your younger selves.' Then Sam turned to Prue. 'I do apologise for calling you 'she' just now. Who are you?'

'She is my Mummy!' shouted Petey proudly before Prue could reply.

Prue smiled. 'Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I have only recently met Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. I have only recently found out that I was a witch. My name is Prudence Halliwell.'

At the mention of her name, Sam went even paler than he had gone when he had realised that Paige was his unborn child.

'Is everything okay?' asked Prue.

Sam did not reply. Instead he orbed out of the attic. Unsure what to do, little Piper and little Phoebe exited the attic.

Phoebe and Paige rejoined the conversation between the adults at this moment.

'Prue, what did you say to him?' asked Phoebe.

'Nothing… I just told him who I was,' said Prue innocently.

'Oh! Oh! Oh! Don't you get it?' said Phoebe.

Prue, Piper, Paige, and Petey stared at Phoebe. While Prue, Piper, and Paige were staring at her waiting for some sort of response, Petey was giggling at Phoebe's sudden thrilled tone of voice.

'Get what, Pheebs?' asked Piper.

'Don't you get why he was so shocked at hearing Prue's name?' said Phoebe.

Paige suddenly smiled, keying onto what Phoebe was getting at. 'This proves it!'

'Proves what?' asked Prue.

'This is definitely better than summoning Mum to ask,' continued Phoebe.

'Definitely,' agreed Paige.

'Hang on,' said Piper, suddenly understanding Phoebe and Paige's line of thought. 'Are you trying to tell me that we finally have proof that Prue is our sister?'

'Well, Paige and I never needed the proof,' said Phoebe. 'We knew it all along.'

'We still have not had the proof yet,' said Prue.

'Yeah, Uncle Sam could have had any other reason for orbing off,' said Piper. 'The Elders or a charge could have called for him right at that moment.'

'Cynics, the both of you,' quipped Paige, shaking her head.

'So what do we do?' asked Piper. 'Do we wait here for Uncle Sam to return or do we find out where Nicholas is and try to stop Mum from making the pact?'

'He should be able to figure out where we have gone,' said Paige. 'Let's orb on out of here and find Nicholas.'

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige linked hands. Paige closed her eyes to orb, but nothing happened.

'Any minute now would be good, Paige,' said Piper sarcastically.

'I am trying,' said Paige. 'I don't know why it is not working.'

The four Halliwells broke their link and looked at one another.

'Hmm…' said Phoebe, thinking. 'Piper, try and blow something up. Like that doll's house.'

Piper nodded. She flicked her hands at the doll's house, while Prue, Phoebe, and Paige ducked for cover, but nothing happened.

'Maybe my powers have altered back to freezing only again,' suggested Piper.

'I doubt it, because my powers are not working either,' said Prue, who was gesturing at a lamp with no effect.

Phoebe jumped into the air, but did not remain suspended. 'I cannot levitate.'

'Being in the past sucks,' said Paige.

'Petey, do you think you can levitate?' Phoebe asked Petey.

Petey shrugged. 'I don't know if I want to try.'

'It's okay, sweetie. If you do float into the air we will help you back onto the ground,' said Prue.

Prue put Petey onto the ground and stood back. Petey closed his eyes, but nothing happened.

'Yeah, time travel definitely sucks,' Paige reiterated. 'No powers for any of us.'

'We may not have our Charmed Ones' powers, but we must still be witches,' said Phoebe, finding a map, a crystal, and some string in a cabinet. 'Let's scry for Nicholas.'

'Do we have anything of Nicholas' to scry with?' asked Piper.

Phoebe was laying the map out on a table, while Prue tied the string to the crystal. Phoebe pulled a flower petal out of her pocket.

'I found it attached to my shoe after our initial fight with him. It must have fallen off the bouquet of flowers he brought for Grams,' said Phoebe.

Phoebe took the crystal from Prue and rubbed the petal's pollen onto the crystal. Phoebe then began to swing the crystal over the map. The crystal stopped on a destination.

'We have a location!' said Phoebe, grinning.

Paige scowled. 'This is not fair! How are our basic witch abilities still effective, but I cannot use my basic white lighter abilities?'

'I think the phrase you are looking for is: Time travel sucks,' said Piper.

Paige sighed. 'It sure does.'

Phoebe had wandered over to the Book of Shadows now.

'I am sure the Book will have some sort of teleportation spell. We never had to use one because we always had Paige and Leo. No offence, Paige.'

'None taken,' said Paige. 'I miss my orbing power already.'

'You have not even known for five minutes that you cannot use it,' said Piper.

'I know. I miss it that much,' said Paige glumly.

Phoebe had stopped on a page. 'I found something! We all need to read it while focusing on the destination.'

Prue frowned. 'Petey is only learning to read. I don't think he could read a whole spell out loud.'

'We could leave him here,' suggested Piper. 'If little Piper and little Phoebe are here, then Grams or someone must be babysitting.'

Prue sighed. 'As long as she does not try to vanquish him.'

'She won't. Haven't we already had this conversation when he ran off into the house?' said Piper.

'Gather round! We don't want to chance Nicholas changing location!' said Phoebe.

Piper and Paige joined Phoebe by the Book, while Prue hugged Petey.

'Be good, okay? Go and play with little Piper and little Phoebe downstairs,' said Prue.

Petey nodded, leaving the attic. Prue joined the other three by the Book.

'So where did the map say he was?' Piper asked Phoebe.

'The nearest park to here,' Phoebe said.

They each read the spell in time with one another.

'_Take me to the place that I require,_

_My thoughts are the location that I desire_.'

With those words, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige vanished from the attic.

* * *

Piper and Phoebe fell onto the grass. Slowly the two of them stood up.

'Why couldn't we get a soft landing?' moaned Phoebe.

'At least it was not as stomach churning as being orbed for the first time,' said Piper.

'Good point,' said Phoebe.

Piper and Phoebe looked around the park. There was no sight of Nicholas, but they guessed that he would not be wandering around in plain sight anyway. That was not the first thing they noticed though.

'Where are Prue and Paige?' asked Piper, voicing Phoebe's hesitation.

* * *

Prue fell onto the wooden decking of the docks. Paige landed right next to her. The two of them helped each other to their feet.

'This does not look like the park,' said Paige, stretching her arms. 'Wait a second, this does not even look like San Francisco.'

They were standing in a harbour. To one side of them was the sea, with many boats parked against the wooden decking that they stood on. To the other side of them was a row of houses that looked out onto the harbour and the sea.

'Paige, what were you thinking of when you said the spell just now?' Prue asked, her eyes firmly fixed on her surroundings.

'I know what you mean. That spell was nowhere near as accurate as orbing would have been,' said Paige.

'No, Paige. You didn't answer my question,' said Prue, still not looking at her sister. 'Did another destination pop into your mind when we were supposed to be thinking of the park?'

Paige blushed guiltily. 'I may have, for a split second, wondered where your younger self was in 1977. Why do you ask?'

Prue nodded. 'I think the same thought popped into my mind.'

'What makes you think that?' asked Paige, starting to understand what Prue was getting at.

'I know where we are,' said Prue.

'The spell sent us to… This is where you…' Paige began.

Prue finished the sentence for Paige. 'The spell sent us to Portland. This is where I grew up.'

* * *

**A/N:** For some reason in this fan fiction I always have to split the characters up into two groups for two different plots to run parallel with one another. I think I have something against having too many characters in one room at the same time. It is hard to work with big numbers. Oh, and I take no credit whatsoever for Phoebe's 'Oh! Oh! Oh! Don't you get it?' line. It is just one of my favourite lines from season four, even if I have not used it in the context that the canon used it for. Anyway, please review!


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** If trying to decipher between reading whether 'Piper' or 'little Piper' – or if 'Phoebe' or 'little Phoebe' – were speaking in the previous chapter was difficult then be prepared for more of that in this chapter. Except for the fact that this chapter has nought to do with little Piper and little Phoebe.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

'Should we say the spell again so as we can go and reunite with Piper and Phoebe?' Prue asked Paige.

Prue and Paige were still standing on the docks. People were passing them by, giving them funny looks, because of their choice of clothing – not only because they were wearing summery clothes on a freezing cold afternoon, but also because their clothes were twenty years away from coming into fashion.

'Do you remember the spell by heart?' Paige asked Prue.

'I remember that the second line went something like 'where I think is the location which I desire', but I am not too sure if that is the correct wording,' said Prue. 'What do you remember of it?'

Paige smirked. 'Considering I want to stay in Portland right now and find your 1977 self, I would have to say that I don't remember any of the spell.'

Prue glared at Paige. 'You _are_ stubborn.'

'Don't blame it on my upbringing, because I am not born yet,' joked Paige.

Prue sighed. 'We cannot go and see me because I don't think that will do my past any justice. We don't want to change things.'

'Why not?' asked Paige. 'Maybe we were sent into the past for more reasons than just to stop Mum from making the pact with Nicholas. Maybe we were supposed to help you find your true family sooner.'

'Or maybe we were supposed to stick with Piper and Phoebe,' said Prue stubbornly. 'You can be stubborn about not reminding me of the spell, but I can also be stubborn about not telling you where exactly I would be living in 1977.'

Paige grinned unfazed by Prue's reluctance to tell her.

'Why are you looking at me like that?' asked Prue. 'You won't break me. I won't tell you.'

'I know you won't,' said Paige, smiling.

'Then why are you so… in such good spirits?' asked Prue.

Paige took a deep breath, taking in the cool sea air. 'If I have interpreted that spell correctly, it has taken us to the location that it believes you to be at this exact moment in time. So we will probably see a ten year old version of you walking around any minute now.'

'I would be seven, not ten,' said Prue, suddenly looking around for her younger self.

'Ha! I knew it! I was right about the spell!' said Paige, noticing Prue's sudden change in demeanour.

'Which means we should get out of here!' said Prue, an expression of worry on her face now.

Paige frowned. 'Why? What is so bad about this day in particular?'

'I only went down to the docks once when I was little,' said Prue. 'It was the biggest mistake of my life.'

'What happened?' asked Paige, concerned for Prue now.

Prue sighed. 'I don't know. I remember going down to the docks once. It was part of a school trip, but I wandered off from the main group. The next thing I remember is waking up in hospital. I was told that I had been mugged and had been found unconscious by two strangers that left before they could give the police a statement.'

'Prue, we could stop that from happening right now,' said Paige.

'That would change my past,' said Prue seriously. 'What happened happened. Deal with it. I know I did.'

Paige frowned. 'Prue… I am sorry… You are my sister… If I can help, I will…'

'We have not spoken to your parents yet,' said Prue. 'There is no evidence that we are definitely sisters yet.'

Paige shook her head at Prue's stubbornness. 'Prue, I still want to help.'

'There is nothing that needs changing,' said Prue.

Paige sighed. 'Okay. Well, I guess we should get back to Piper and Phoebe then. The spell went something like –'

Paige was interrupted because Prue pushed Paige behind some crates that happened to be near them. Prue ducked behind the crates too.

'What did you do that for?' asked Paige irritably. Then Paige noticed that Prue was peaking over the top of the crates at something across the decking from them – whoever she was hiding behind the crates from.

Paige followed Prue's gaze. Walking onto the wooden decking was a little girl with long dark hair.

'That's you?' Paige asked.

Without looking back at Paige, Prue nodded.

'Should we be saying that spell to get back to Piper and Phoebe then?' asked Paige. 'I know how much you don't want to meet yourself.'

Prue shook her head. 'I have changed my mind. I have to know what happened that day… I have to know what happened today.'

Paige gawped. 'How are you going to be able to observe it without forcing yourself to intervene?'

'I am strong willed enough,' said Prue, shrugging. 'Besides, I will have you to stop me.'

Paige gulped. 'That is a big responsibility.'

Little Prue snuck onto a boat, disappearing from Prue and Paige's sight.

'You broke into someone else's boat at the age of seven?' said Paige in shock.

Prue shrugged. 'I think this is August, so I would have been six.'

'You know that is not what I meant,' said Paige.

Prue smiled.

'Do we follow?' Paige asked.

Prue nodded. Prue and Paige went to stand up when two dark lighters orbed in right in front of them, on the other side of the crates that they had been hiding behind. Prue and Paige ducked behind the crates again, hoping the dark lighters had not spotted them.

The two dark lighters had obviously not spotted them because they began conversing.

'Do we know if that girl is on the boat alone, Wrexler?' asked the first dark lighter.

'I cannot sense anyone else on that boat, Rydian,' replied the second dark lighter, who was known as Wrexler. 'Are we sure her white lighter is not watching over her?'

'I am sure. I don't know what, but something is distracting him at the moment,' said the first dark lighter, who was known as Rydian. 'This is our best chance to kill that girl.'

Wrexler nodded. 'Do we even know what she is?'

Rydian shook his head. 'From what I have observed over the years, it is very possible that she is a potential white lighter. Why else would a white lighter be watching over a seemingly mortal orphan?'

'Good point,' said Wrexler. 'Let's go.'

The two dark lighters walked onto the boat that little Prue had entered moments before. Prue and Paige exchanged looks.

'Your muggers were dark lighters?' said Paige, gobsmacked. 'How did you ever survive them?'

'I… I don't know,' said Prue hesitantly. 'Why do they think I am a potential white lighter?'

Paige thought about it for a second or two before answering. 'Your powers were bound. They had no reason to believe you were a witch. My dad obviously kept an eye on you as a promise to our mum. I guess any dark lighter would soon suspect that you were one of his charges and therefore that you are a potential white lighter.'

'Okay, but I am not one, right?' asked Prue, still unsure of all the magical terminology.

Paige shook her head. 'No. You are definitely a witch, and witches do not become white lighters after… You know…'

Their conversation trailed off into a small silence. Both Prue and Paige found themselves looking over at the boat that the dark lighters had entered.

'We really should follow,' said Paige determinedly, breaking the silence. 'Maybe you got your powers early, but the sheer energy made you forget? Considering, the white lighter they mentioned is probably my dad, we could always hope that he was not as busy as they thought he was, and maybe he orbs in to save you.'

'As long as you are leaning towards the idea of us going onto that boat right now, I am on board with your plan!' said Prue. Prue looked a little embarrassed at the pun she had accidentally used.

'Of course!' said Paige, ignoring the bad pun.

Prue and Paige stood up from behind the boxes. The harbour was relatively empty now. It had to be for two dark lighters to orb in from nowhere without anyone noticing. Prue and Paige got onto the boat and descended the steps onto the lower deck.

There was a scream from one of the rooms on the lower deck. Prue and Paige ran to the door, watching the scene from the doorway.

Little Prue was sprawled in the corner of the room, unconscious. An arrow was embedded in her left shoulder. A crossbow disappeared from Rydian's hands in a puff of smoke. Wrexler was sneering.

'Job done,' said Rydian.

Wrexler suddenly frowned. 'She may have passed out from the pain, but the poison is not having the effect on her that it should have had.'

'It wouldn't have an effect. She is only a potential white lighter and therefore still mortal,' said Rydian.

'So do we leave her here to die from the wound as we know the poison will have no effect on her?' asked Wrexler.

Rydian shook his head. 'Let's take her to the underworld. Her white lighter may not have been paying attention before, but maybe the disappearance of his charge from his radar will lure him into our trap.'

Wrexler grinned wickedly. 'Good idea.'

The two dark lighters orbed out of the boat with little Prue.

'Er, Paige, we really have to hope that your dad did save me today, and that he did leave me on the street to be found by a couple of passers by,' said Prue.

Paige gulped. 'We should follow to make sure.'

Prue nodded. 'How do we get to the underworld?'

'I guess that transportation spell is more useful than we thought it would be,' said Paige, smiling.

'Say it, Paige,' said Prue. 'I will say it at the same time as you.'

'We don't know where in the underworld they took you though,' Paige pointed out.

'Then instead we have to concentrate on going to wherever I am,' said Prue.

'Concentrate on you?' laughed Paige. 'Someone sounds vain.'

'Paige, we don't have time to joke,' said Prue.

'Says the bad pun expert…' mumbled Paige.

Paige began to recite the spell. Prue said it in time with her. Once the spell was spoken, Prue and Paige disappeared from the docks and reappeared in the underworld. They quickly hid behind some rocks as they observed the scene.

Little Prue was still unconscious. She was slumped in the corner of the cavern. Rydian and Wrexler were nowhere to be seen. Noticing that the cavern was empty apart from the three of them, Prue and Paige instinctively ran over to little Prue.

'Her breathing is regular,' whispered Prue, before pulling the arrow out of little Prue's shoulder. Prue turned to Paige to pass her the arrow, but Paige refused to take it. 'Paige! I need you to take this so as I can use my free hands to keep pressure on her wound!'

'I cannot risk touching that,' whispered Paige, feeling guilty.

'Then could you put pressure on her wound instead?' asked Prue.

Paige shook her head. 'I cannot risk touching her wound either.'

Prue narrowed her eyes inquisitively. 'Why?'

'I may not have my powers, but I still have white lighter blood,' whispered Paige. 'Dark lighter arrows and white lighter blood do not mix.'

Prue sighed and dropped the arrow to the cold, crumbly floor. 'Sorry Paige. I didn't know.'

'It's okay,' said Paige. 'I wish I could be more helpful in this situation though. I feel useless.'

'You could always keep watch for the dark lighters,' suggested Prue, pressing her hands down on a piece of cloth that now covered little Prue's shoulder wound to try and stem the bleeding.

Paige began to pace around the cavern, keeping her eye on the only entrance.

'So what are we going to do?' asked Paige. 'Should we say the spell and get her out of here? I think that if you keep hold of her while you say the spell, the fact that you are both the same person should allow the spell to take her wherever you go.'

Prue shook her head. 'I don't think we should interfere. If Sam does come to save her then that should be how things stay.'

Paige sighed. 'Are you suggesting that we shouldn't try to vanquish these dark lighters?'

'Wouldn't that change the future if we did?' asked Prue, not looking up at Paige. 'You are the time travel expert, not me.'

Paige bit her lip in thought as she continued to pace. 'Well… The only other time we went into the past was when the Elders sent us back to witness our ancestor's birth and the whole point of that was interfering to make sure that evil did not stop our ancestor being born. I would not say that made me an expert.'

'Paige, I have _never_ time travelled before today! So that makes you an expert compared to me!' stressed Prue.

Paige came to a stop, looking over at Prue, who was still focused on putting pressure on her younger self's wound. Therefore, Prue was not watching Paige, and no one had their eyes on the door to the cavern.

'Well, both that time and this time we were sent back to change something. So why can't we interfere by getting your young self out of here and… or… vanquishing those dark lighters?' asked Paige.

Prue sighed. 'We should focus on getting her out of here and then come back to vanquish those dark lighters…'

Paige smiled. 'I like how you think. So are we going to do this then?'

'As long as it does not change anything…' said Prue.

'It won't,' Paige reassured her. 'You obviously survived that day or you would not be here now talking to me. As long as we leave little you on the docks to be found by passers by, then we won't change your past.'

Prue nodded, as she looked at her unconscious younger self. 'Okay. Let's say the spell, Paige. Let's get little Prue out of here.'

Prue and Paige both began to recite the spell:

'_Take me to the place that I require,_

_My thoughts -_'CLICK.

Prue stopped reciting the spell, because she realised that Paige had stopped reciting the spell.

Prue tensed up, not knowing whether it was safe to turn around. 'Paige, what was that clicking sound?'

Suddenly Prue heard someone collapse to the floor. Prue jumped to her feet and turned around. Paige was lying on the ground on her front. An arrow was sticking out of her back. One of the dark lighters, Rydian, stood at the cavern entrance, aiming his empty crossbow at Prue. All of a sudden, with a puff of smoke, his crossbow was replenished with a fresh arrow.

Prue took a step back. Her eyes flicked from the still-conscious-but-in-pain Paige, to the unconscious six-year-old Prue, and back to the sinister dark lighter.

Rydian stepped forward a little as Prue stepped back, so as the distance between them did not change. He sneered.

'Looks like the white lighter sent two witches to save his charge instead of coming himself,' said Rydian. 'He's a coward!'

'Don't… Say… That… A… Bout… Him!' Paige managed to wince between haggard breaths from the ground.

Rydian took his eyes off Prue for a second to look down at Paige. He let out a cold laugh.

Rydian scoffed, 'Hmm… Do I spy a witch with white lighter blood? The poison seems to be taking an effect on you.' He pointed the crossbow down towards Paige. 'Let's see if another arrow will kill you faster.'

'Leave her alone!' Prue shouted.

Rydian looked back towards Prue. His wicked smile did not falter.

'I see someone likes to be the centre of attention. Don't worry. I will get to you in a second,' said Rydian.

Prue scowled. 'Don't talk to me like that.'

'Like what?' Rydian mocked. 'Don't tell me you are part white lighter too?'

Prue glared at Rydian, refusing to reply. Noticing the fierceness within her glare, Rydian let out an unfazed sigh.

'A white lighter that seems as fierce and willing to fight as you? I don't think so,' said Rydian.

'He's obviously never met Paige,' thought Prue.

'However, you are a witch none-the-less,' continued Rydian, aiming his crossbow at Prue again. 'The poison may not kill you, but the wound could…'

Prue's heart began to pound as she saw Rydian's finger slide onto the trigger to release the crossbow. Prue wanted to stop him from pressing that trigger switch. Therefore, she said the first thing that came into her mind to stall him:

'I wouldn't do that if I were you!'

Rydian took his finger off the trigger and let the arm holding the crossbow drop to his side. He had an expression of amusement on his face.

'Why wouldn't I?' he asked, waiting for the punch line.

'I am a Charmed One! That's why!' shouted Prue. Although she did not believe she was definitely a Halliwell sister yet, she did know that _Charmed One_ was a known term in the magical world referring to the three most powerful witches. She hoped that using the term would postpone the dark lighters attack. She needed to think up a way to get little Prue, Paige, and herself out of there safely.

Rydian's expression became one of confusion. 'A what?'

'A Charmed One!' repeated Prue, hoping to keep the strength in her tone as she said it.

Rydian shook his head. 'Never heard of it.'

Prue blushed. She suddenly remembered that it was the seventies and only two of the three Halliwell sisters were born. Therefore, the prophecy that the Halliwells had told her about had not yet been played out, so it was unlikely that anyone – good or evil – had heard of them or knew who they would be or when in time they would come about.

Rydian suddenly frowned. 'Do you think you can play mind games on me, witch? Slow down your eventual death by trying to distract me? It's not working!' He pointed his crossbow at Prue again.

Prue did not allow herself to look fearful and tried to remain calm. She watched intently as Rydian began to slide his finger onto the trigger again. Her focus was on the crossbow and nothing else. Prue noticed him drop his crossbow-holding arm to his side again. Prue looked up at Rydian. He was looking at the ground where Paige lay. His expression was baffled. Prue looked down to the ground.

Paige was being covered in sparkling white orbs until she was no longer visible underneath them. When the white orbs disappeared, Paige had also disappeared. Rydian was shocked to see someone else in Paige's place, while Prue was highly surprised by who Paige had been replaced with.

In the spot where Paige had previously been lying, Piper was now crouching, with an expression of surprise on her face.

'What is this? Pokémon? One sister got injured during battle, so she gets replaced with another?' said Prue wittily as Piper slowly stood up to stand next to her.

Piper let out a small chuckle. 'Pikachu was a 'P' as well,' Piper pointed out.

The two eldest Halliwells stood side-by-side, facing the scowling dark lighter.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't usually like referencing other shows within shows in that sort of way, but I could not resist writing that line, so I did. There will be explanations for why/how Piper replaced Paige in the next chapter.

The next update could be a week, two weeks, a month, or just three days. In other words, I have no idea how long there will be between updates. They might be quick. They might not.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Piper and Phoebe stood in Golden Gate Park, exchanging worried looks. It had been five minutes since they had arrived. Neither Prue nor Paige had made an appearance yet.

'Do you think they are okay?' Piper asked Phoebe, a little anxiously.

'Piper, they will be fine,' said Phoebe. 'Maybe the spell took them to another part of the park. For now all we can do is start looking for Nicholas.'

Piper nodded. 'You're right.'

Phoebe smiled reassuringly at her older sister. However, Phoebe's smile quickly vanished.

'What do we plan to do when we do find Nicholas?' asked Phoebe.

'We will ask that question later,' said Piper, trying to regain some control and therefore try and force herself to not listen to the scared little voice inside her – which was actually the voice of common sense.

Before Phoebe could respond, Piper had already started to walk off on a search for Nicholas. Phoebe shrugged and decided to follow.

As Piper and Phoebe walked through the park, they observed their surroundings. The park was fairly quiet, but that was to be expected as it was a cold day. Piper assumed it must be autumn when she saw that many trees were beginning to lose their leaves. Phoebe trampled through the leaves that littered the grass as they continued their search for Nicholas.

'I wish I had put a jacket on before we ran away from Nicholas,' mumbled Phoebe, shivering a little as they walked.

'We didn't run, we retreated to the attic,' Piper corrected Phoebe.

Piper and Phoebe came to an abrupt stop as a man in police uniform crossed paths with them. He did not look up at them. He walked past them, heading in the direction Piper and Phoebe had just come from.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks.

'Was that..?' asked Phoebe, turning around to watch the policeman walk away from them.

Piper also turned to watch him. 'Nicholas…'

Phoebe nodded. 'What is he doing pretending to be a policeman?'

'Blending into society, I guess,' said Piper.

Phoebe had already started walking after Nicholas. Nicholas' long strides had already given him a head start – even though he was not trying to get away from the two Halliwells, because to him they were only random civilians. Piper began to walk to catch up with Phoebe, but Phoebe had now broken into a run in order to catch up with Nicholas.

As Phoebe got to a suitable distance from Nicholas – who was still walking casually away from her along the path – Phoebe flicked her leg forward, kicking Nicholas in the back of the shins.

Nicholas fell forward, his policeman hat falling to the path. Piper finally caught up with Phoebe who was now standing still, glaring down at Nicholas.

Nicholas jumped to his feet, glowering at both Piper and Phoebe.

'Witches!' Nicholas jeered at the two Halliwells. Immediately, Nicholas pointed his ring at them.

Piper and Phoebe could feel their blood begin to boil and the pain of the ring's magic.

'Does that ring never go out of fashion?' Phoebe said through gritted teeth as she tried to remain standing upright although she was in pain.

'The ring still works even though he is not immune to our powers yet..?' mumbled Piper, who was doubled over in pain.

'The ring is my own personal weapon,' said Nicholas. He raised an eyebrow. 'Immunity to a witch's powers? That sounds like an interesting idea.'

'That's it! Piper! He's not immune to our powers!' shouted Phoebe, managing to kick Nicholas' outstretched hand, causing his ring to no longer point in their direction.

Regaining her composure now that the cursed ring's effects had subsided, Piper replied to her sister. 'What do you mean use our powers? We are in the past! Our powers are not working!'

'We can still cast spells,' said Phoebe, smiling.

Clutching his aching fist, Nicholas scowled at Phoebe. His looks were like daggers.

Nicholas sneered. 'You witches think you can stop me with a few spells.'

'We are not just witches,' said Phoebe. Her expression became quite smug. 'We are Charmed Ones.'

'Charmed Ones?' said Nicholas, with a tone of cluelessness.

'Don't act so innocent!' said Phoebe. 'We know you know who the Charmed Ones are. Otherwise you would never have gone after our mother to get immunity from our powers.'

'Phoebe,' hissed Piper.

Ignoring Piper, Phoebe continued, 'We were prophesised by Melinda Warren. The three most powerful witches in existence. You obviously have heard of us or you would never have gone after our mother.'

'Phoebe!' Piper warned slightly louder.

Nicholas smiled slyly. 'The three most powerful witches in existence? Immunity to their powers? Melinda Warren? I would definitely know if I had met you before.'

Phoebe sighed. 'Well, of course, you haven't. We came back in time to stop you.'

'Phoebe!' Piper almost shouted.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. 'You are from the future?'

'Yes,' said Phoebe.

'There are only two of you,' Nicholas pointed out. 'Where is the implied third?'

'Depends,' said Phoebe. 'The third sister we came back with is somewhere else. The third sister that we grew up with is not technically born yet.'

Piper rolled her eyes. She had given up trying to tell her big-mouthed sister to shut up. 'Just tell the warlock all about us, despite the fact that he knew nothing about us before you told him,' Piper thought sarcastically. 'It's probably all thanks to you that he goes after Mum now.'

Nicholas' smile grew into a wicked grin, confirming Piper's thoughts.

'Stay away from them,' Piper said. 'If you want a fight, fight us.'

'Yeah… I think I would rather attack your past,' said Nicholas, shrugging. He turned away from the two Halliwells and continued down the path.

Piper picked the policeman hat off the floor and threw it at Nicholas. It hit Nicholas on the upper back. Nicholas stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly to face the two Halliwell sisters. His eyes were like flames, quite literally. The whole park seemed to have gone so quiet that the noise of the policeman's hat falling back to the ground seemed to create an echo.

'Phoebe, we need some spells!' sputtered Piper, taken aback by Nicholas' expression.

'Er…' said Phoebe, gulping as she quickly pondered putting some words together:

'_To him we shall bring,_

_The same pain as his ring_.'

Nicholas' clenched his fists as he began to walk towards Piper and Phoebe. The pain from the spell was getting to him, but not enough to stop him.

'Piper, a little help here,' said Phoebe.

Piper nodded. Together they recited Phoebe's spell:

'_To him we shall bring,_

_The same pain as his ring_.'

Nicholas fell to his knees, unable to advance any further, as the sisters continued to chant the couplet over and over. His eyes were still full of fire with rage. He unclenched one of his fists, allowing a fireball to form in his open hand.

Piper and Phoebe stopped chanting the spell in order to exchange surprised looks.

'Did you know he could do that?' Phoebe asked Piper.

'I have known him for as long as you have!' replied Piper.

Now that Piper and Phoebe had stopped chanting the spell, Nicholas was able to get back to his feet. The fireball was still alight in his hand.

'Warlocks can steal powers from demons too,' said Nicholas matter-of-factly. 'I find fireballs very handy.'

With those words, Nicholas flung the fireball in Piper and Phoebe's direction. Piper and Phoebe ducked to the ground, finding a tree to hide behind.

'Should we start chanting the spell again?' Phoebe asked.

'What good will it do? It only slows him down,' Piper said.

'It slowed him down more when the two of us said it than when I said it on my own…' Phoebe began.

Piper pushed Phoebe to the floor. A fireball whizzed past their heads.

'Are you trying to suggest that if we had the Power of Three with us..?' Piper started but was interrupted as she dodged another fireball.

Phoebe helped Piper back to her feet. The two of them peered around the tree. Nicholas was standing relatively close by, waiting for any chance to throw another fireball in their direction. He seemed to be enjoying the tension created by not going straight for the kill.

Piper and Phoebe both darted back behind the tree as another fireball came their way.

'Yes,' was Phoebe's belated answer. 'If we had the Power of Three with us, the spell might be enough to vanquish him. Then we would not have to worry about stopping him from getting immunity to our powers.'

Piper's pupils moved swiftly side to side as she thought Phoebe's ideas through, quickly calculating the possibility of it working. Soon Piper's eyes planted on her little sister.

'It could work,' said Piper. 'Too bad we don't have Paige here. We don't even have Prue here who it could work with too!'

'Then we bring them here,' said Phoebe.

Piper raised an eyebrow. 'How?'

Phoebe smiled confidently. 'I'll do what I always do. Make something up.'

'Yeah, because that will be easy to do while avoiding the fireball addict,' said Piper sardonically.

Right on cue, the tree suddenly caught fire. Piper and Phoebe jumped away from it before any fire could spread onto them.

Nicholas' voice rang across the gap that separated them. 'Face me, Charmed Ones. I thought that is what you wanted to do.'

Phoebe jumped up into a fighting stance. Piper stopped her. Phoebe turned to Piper, wondering why.

'Phoebe, I will distract Nicholas. You need to think up that spell,' said Piper. 'Get Prue and Paige here _now_.'

Phoebe looked from Piper to the sneering Nicholas. Her expression was one of reluctance.

'Piper…' said Phoebe.

'Phoebe, I can cope,' said Piper. 'You do your job, I will do mine.'

Half-heartedly, Phoebe nodded. Phoebe remained where she stood, while Piper slowly approached Nicholas.

'You wanted a fight? Here I am,' stated Piper, facing Nicholas. 'What other powers have you stolen?'

'Too many for me to be bothered to show you them all before killing you,' replied Nicholas snidely. 'As an all powerful witch, what powers do you have?'

Not wanting to reveal that she was completely void of active powers while in the past, Piper said, 'All of my powers are infinitely more powerful than any of yours. Quality over quantity, you know.'

'Then let's stop nattering, and prove ourselves, shall we?' said Nicholas, calling Piper's bluff.

Piper tried to keep her poker face. 'Fine.'

'Ladies first,' said Nicholas.

'A warlock with manners? That's a first,' muttered Piper.

'Today would be nice,' said Nicholas, growing impatient. 'Unless the great powers you speak of do not exist.'

Piper narrowed her eyes, staring at Nicholas. She quickly thought up a rhyme that she hoped would help and muttered it under her breath:

'_Mimic the powers that this warlock holds,_

_For the length of time that this fight unfolds._'

As Piper finished reciting the spell, she felt her left hand begin to burn. She opened her hand to reveal a fireball. This gave Nicholas a shock.

'Good cannot possess fireballs,' said a flustered Nicholas.

'Maybe us Charmed Ones are so powerful that we are beyond good and evil,' said Piper, enjoying the fact that she was freaking Nicholas out. Considering a warlock was the type of evil that had caused many 'choice of boyfriend' jokes from her sisters over the years, Piper seemed to have a personal vendetta against warlocks that she never seemed to have against demons. With a smirk on her face, Piper released the fireball, allowing it to hurtle in Nicholas' direction.

'Two can play at that game!' shouted Nicholas.

Nicholas threw a fireball directly into the one that Piper had thrown causing a mini explosion mid-air.

'Show me some of your other powers,' said Piper, wanting to put the spell to more use.

'Gladly,' snarled Nicholas. He wanted to attack Piper with a power that she did not possess. Nicholas had not clocked onto the fact that Piper was using a spell.

Nicholas stretched his hand out. A lightning bolt shot out of his palm directly at Piper, knocking her off her feet. Piper spluttered a little as she got back to her feet.

'You were holding back on us when you attacked us in our present… Your future,' said Piper. 'Unless you lose your powers over the years…'

Nicholas scowled at Piper's remark. 'That was only a low voltage blast! I can ramp it up and kill you in one shot!'

'That's good to know,' said Piper, already feeling sparks in her hand as the spell began to take effect again.

Piper pointed her hand towards Nicholas. A lightning bolt shot out of her hand. Nicholas looked utterly bewildered as the lightning bolt pushed him to the ground.

Nicholas got back to his feet. 'These powers are not your own… Do you possess the power of mimicry?'

'What else would it be? A spell?' said Piper, with a smile.

'Well, let's see how your power mimicry deals with this!' Nicholas shouted as each of his fingers and one thumb – on one of his hands – lit up with a flame.

Piper had a sudden flashback of Jeremy. The first ever use of evil magic she had seen was within the elevator when Jeremy had first attempted to kill her. Just like Nicholas' fingers and thumb just now, Jeremy's fingers had lit up like five burning candles.

Piper was brought out of her flashback into the real world as the mimicry spell took its effects. She felt the heat on each of her fingers and her thumb on her right hand. Slowly she picked her hand up to eye level. At the end of each of her fingers and her thumb was a flame.

'You know what, Nicholas. I have never understood the point of this particular power,' Piper mocked. 'Unless you want to light a candle and have no matches or lighter, this power is really useless.'

'I did not mean to use that power,' muttered Nicholas forebodingly. 'I meant this one!'

Nicholas threw his hand out. A flame erupted from his hand.

'Flame throwing?' Piper squeaked, hardly managing to get to the ground on time. She felt the flame singe her left shoulder as she was too slow to avoid it completely.

Piper thrust her arm out towards Nicholas, throwing a flame towards him. Nicholas dodged it. Piper began to get to her feet. She was crouched on her knees as she noticed another flame flying her way. Like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, Piper's wide eyes reflected the lights of the looming threat.

Phoebe saw the flames flying towards Piper. She began running towards her older sister. She needed to help her get out of the way. As she ran towards Piper, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Phoebe decided to start reciting the spell to summon Prue and Paige as she ran:

'_Eldest to eldest, youngest to youngest,_

_Summon them at this time of risk._

_Halliwells are scattered all over the place,_

_Bring them together in much haste_.'

The rhyming was extremely off, but Phoebe did not care as long as it worked. Phoebe dived towards Piper to push her out of the way of the flames. However Phoebe skidded to a stop as Piper became shrouded in sparkling white orbs. The flames finally reached Piper, but the white orbs seemed to douse the flames. Piper was no longer visible underneath the blanket of white orbs.

Phoebe quickly glanced towards Nicholas. He was staring at Piper with a look of wonderment and fascination. Unbeknownst to Phoebe, Nicholas was wondering whether this had anything to do with one of the 'quality' powers Piper had mentioned having. Unbeknownst to Nicholas, this was Phoebe's summoning spell going awry.

All of a sudden the white orbs disappeared to reveal that Piper was no longer there. Nicholas let out a callous laugh as he observed the wounded heap lying on the floor in Piper's place. Phoebe let out a small gasp as she recognised her baby sister lying on the floor with a dark lighter's arrow sticking out of her back.

'Can we not leave you in Prue's care for five minutes without you getting injured?' Phoebe muttered to herself.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Piper looked from Prue to the dark lighter to the familiar looking six-year-old slumped in the corner of the… Where was she? Piper suddenly realised that she was in the underworld.

Piper wanted time to ponder how Phoebe's summoning spell had gone so awry. However, by the looks of it, Prue and Piper were face to face with a dark lighter _and_ the unconscious six-year-old was probably an innocent.

Piper stood up from her crouched position on the ground just as Prue made a witty comment about _Pokémon_. As Piper reached Prue's side, she added to the _Pokémon_ banter with a reference to the 'P' naming tradition.

The dark lighter glanced from Prue to Piper, wondering which witch to target first. Piper felt the delayed reaction of the power mimicry spell take effect as she felt flames form in her hand. Piper held her hand out towards the dark lighter as flames erupted from her palm. It took mere moments for the dark lighter to be reduced to ashes.

Prue took a step back from Piper.

'What? How?' asked Prue.

Piper raised an eyebrow. 'How am I here or how did I do that?'

'Both,' answered Prue.

'Spell gone awry,' was Piper's reply.

'For both?' questioned a bewildered Prue.

Piper nodded. 'Don't act surprised. This happens a lot in our lives.'

'I _am_ still new to this,' Prue pointed out.

'Basically, I cast a spell to mimic Nicholas' powers while I was fighting him. Unfortunately, the spell only works when he uses a power… I don't have any control over it,' Piper started.

'So that explains the fire blasting from your hands…' said Prue.

'It's called flame throwing,' corrected Piper.

'Whatever,' said Prue. 'Where did Paige go?'

Piper frowned. 'This is the other spell that went awry. While I was distracting Nicholas, Phoebe was coming up with a spell to summon you and Paige to us. We needed the Power of Three. It looks like Phoebe's spell accidentally brought me here instead of bring you two to us. Hopefully that means that Paige is with Phoebe.' Piper noticed Prue's concerned expression. 'Why? What is wrong with Paige?'

'Connect the dots, Piper. What type of evil being did you just vanquish?' said Prue, not wanting to spell it out for Piper.

'Oh no…' said Piper, making the connection. Her expression became one of frustration. 'Why didn't you protect her?'

Prue held her hands up in the air innocently. 'I would never let anything happen if I could. I was protecting her… Oh crap! Is she still breathing?'

As Prue dropped to the floor to check her younger self's pulse, Piper remembered the existence of the innocent.

'Who is she?' Piper asked, noting that the young girl with long dark hair looked extremely familiar. 'How did you and Paige find her? Is she an innocent? Is she a potential white lighter? If she is that would explain why that dark lighter had her down here.'

'From what Paige and I figured out, the dark lighters believe she is one because Sam keeps watch over her all the time. However, the dark lighters decided to attack today, because apparently Sam is distracted with something else,' replied Prue. Prue's breathing relaxed slightly as she successfully found the pulse on her younger self. Then Prue blushed at her stupidity. As this was her younger self, she would know if she was worse off without having to check for a pulse.

'I wonder what has him distracted… So she must be a potential white lighter… Why else would the dark lighter go after her?' mumbled Piper.

'No. She is not a potential white lighter… She is a witch…' said Prue, looking up at Piper.

Piper frowned. 'A witch? How do you know? What would a dark lighter want with a young witch? Oh! They wanted to lure Sam into a trap!'

'Actually, they did think she could be a potential white lighter, but Paige and I know she is not,' said Prue.

'How can you know?' asked Piper.

Prue smiled weakly. 'Piper, meet six-year-old Prue.' As if on cue, six-year-old Prue opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The first thing that little Prue saw was a brunette haired woman gaping at her. Little Prue turned away from the gaping woman to notice a dark haired woman kneeling beside her.

'W-Where a-am I?' piped up little Prue.

'Doesn't matter where we are, because we need to get out of here,' Prue replied.

'You're right. More demons could be on their way,' said Piper, her eyes flicking between Prue and little Prue as she tried to take in the fact that the two people in front of her were the same person.

'Not just that. There was a second dark lighter earlier. I am sure he will be back soon and won't be happy to find out that his counterpart has been vanquished,' said Prue.

'De-Demons? Da-Dark li-lighters? Va-Va-Vanquished?' stuttered little Prue.

'Trust me, it's a lot to get used to,' Prue reassured her younger self.

Prue got to her feet, while Piper helped the six-year-old stand up. Little Prue groaned a little as she felt the pain in her shoulder.

'You'll be okay,' Piper told her. Then Piper turned to adult Prue and said, 'We really need to get to the surface. Then we can call for Leo… Wait, he's not my white lighter yet… I guess Sam may be able to hear us.'

Prue shook her head. 'Phoebe may have the same idea for Paige. It is more important that Sam gets to Paige first.'

'What about you?' Piper asked adult Prue.

'I will be fine,' said Prue.

Little Prue grimaced. '_You_'_ll_ be fine? What about me? I am the one with the wounded shoulder!'

'So how are we going to get out of here?' Piper asked wondering whether Prue and Paige had come up with a plan before Paige had been shot.

'You are not going anywhere.'

Prue, Piper, and little Prue turned around to see a dark lighter, Wrexler, standing at the cavern entrance.

Piper rolled her eyes. 'Can't anything be simple?'

Little Prue pushed past Prue and Piper, heading straight for the cavern entrance. Little Prue practically ignored Wrexler as she shoved past him to leave. Wrexler was too stunned by little Prue's ignorance to stop her exiting the cavern.

'That was brave of you,' Piper whispered to adult Prue.

'Well, I guess they say ignorance is bliss,' said Prue. 'I am suddenly wishing I did not know that this dark lighter was a threat.'

Wrexler began to approach Prue and Piper slowly. He held his left hand up in the air. It was burning with a red glow.

'Er, Piper, what's up with his hand?' Prue asked.

'From what I remember about dark lighters that we have faced in the past – I mean the future technically – that looks like the Touch of Death,' Piper explained.

Prue and Piper were stepping backwards as Wrexler came towards them. They were trying to keep a gap between themselves and the dark lighter. However, Prue and Piper were soon backed up against the cavern wall.

'Does that mean one touch and we are dead?' Prue asked hastily.

'No. It means one touch and we slowly die as we burn to death. From what I have witnessed, it is quite painful,' said Piper.

Piper was referring to the time when she had found out that Leo was a white lighter. Leo had turned up in the attic, wounded. He had been shot by a dark lighter's arrow. Paige knew all the details as she had happened to be speaking to him when it had happened. When Paige was unable to heal Leo, Piper attempted a power switching spell…

* * *

**Flashback to 1999**

Leo was lying on the attic sofa. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder. He had a high fever and was shivering. Paige had orbed him straight onto the sofa. Piper and Phoebe came rushing into the attic.

'We heard a noise. What's going o –' Piper stopped as she saw Leo on the attic sofa. 'What's wrong with Leo? Why is there an arrow in him? How did he get here? Paige, did you -' Piper spelt out the word 'teleport' '- him here?'

'Piper, stop with the pop quiz!' Paige shouted. 'There is no need to spell the word out. For one thing, Leo can spell; plus, like Phoebe said, he knows about magic.'

'Do you still believe that tripe, Paige?' asked Piper.

Phoebe sighed. 'Piper, how many times do I have to tell you? It's true!'

'You know what: I have spent the last month or so tracking Leo down to speak to him about it. I found him this morning. He explained everything to me, including how I am half white lighter. Apparently my form of teleportation is called orbing.'

'Phoebe! Paige! This is ridiculous! Now can someone pull that arrow out of him? It looks painful!' shouted Piper.

'I can't do it,' said Paige sheepishly.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. 'Since when have you been squeamish, Paige?'

Paige shook her head. 'Leo told me that the arrow contains a poison that kills white lighters. I have white lighter blood. It could kill me.'

Piper suddenly went pale. 'Le-Le-Leo's d-d-d-dying ?'

'Not if we can do something about it,' Paige told her eldest sister reassuringly.

Piper ran over to the Book of Shadows and began to flick through it hurriedly. Meanwhile, Phoebe approached Leo and put her hands on the arrow.

'Leo, this may hurt a little,' Phoebe warned him. With those words, she tightened her grip on the arrow, pulling it out of him. Leo cried out in pain between gritted teeth.

Phoebe threw the arrow into the corner of the room.

'I should get a damp cloth and some first aid supplies,' said Phoebe, running out of the attic.

Paige knelt down at Leo's side. She held her hands out over Leo's wound.

'What are you doing?' Piper asked, looking over from the Book of Shadows.

'Leo told me that white lighters have the ability to heal! I am part white lighter! Maybe I can heal him!' said Paige determinedly.

Piper bit her lip, before nodding: 'Try.'

Paige looked away from Piper and concentrated on Leo's wound. Piper continued to flick through the Book of Shadows.

* * *

When Phoebe returned to the attic with a damp cloth and other first aid supplies, she found both her sisters looking extremely agitated.

'This Book is useless!' whined Piper, slamming it shut.

'I am a failure!' Paige shrieked in a huff.

Phoebe's reaction to the outbursts was an expression that could be interpreted as: 'Maybe I should just go. They probably have not even noticed my presence.' However, Phoebe quickly wiped the expression from her face and walked further into the attic.

'What's wrong?' Phoebe asked as she set the first aid equipment down on a nearby table.

Both Piper and Paige replied at once. The jumble of upset sentences did neither justice, causing neither reply to be comprehensible.

'One at a time, please!' Phoebe shouted, shutting up both the eldest and youngest Halliwell sister. Putting her hand on her temples, and taking a deep breath, Phoebe said, 'Paige, you are with the dying patient. You go first.'

'I should be able to heal Leo, but I can't!' said Paige, distressed. 'What sort of part white lighter am I if I cannot even heal him?'

Before Phoebe could make a response, all three sisters were alerted to the fact that Leo was coughing.

'Glass of water!' Paige shouted, telekinetically orbing a glass of water into her hand. Paige gave the glass of water to Leo. He tried to drink some to subdue his coughing fit.

'Either your powers have advanced so much that you can now telekinetically telep – Wow! We can call it telekinetic orbing now we know what your teleportation thing is called!' said Phoebe smiling.

'Do you digress often, Pheebs?' Paige said sarcastically.

Getting back to her point, Phoebe said, 'Either your powers have advanced so much that you can now telekinetically orb water into a cup before telekinetically orbing the two into the attic… Or that is the glass of water that I keep on my night stand!'

'I would go with the latter,' said Paige, flashing her teeth with an innocent grin.

'Ew, Phoebe germs,' said Piper, breaking away from her own Book-related issues to insult her sister in a childish manner.

Leo handed Paige a half empty glass back.

'Paige…' croaked an exhausted Leo.

'What? What do you need?' asked Paige.

Piper watched this discussion from her position by the Book of Shadows. She was slightly jealous that Leo was talking to Paige rather than to her.

Leo tried to gather enough strength to speak. 'You won't be able to heal me…' His voice was faint.

'Yes I can! You told me that white lighters have the ability to heal!' countered Paige.

'I also told you that because you are only part white lighter, your powers would be weaker, especially one as advanced as healing,' replied Leo.

Paige's expression was seething. 'No. I could accept that before, but not right now!'

Paige orbed out of the attic in anger.

'Leo, you should rest as much as possible for now,' Phoebe advised him before turning to Piper. 'Your turn to speak to me, Piper.'

'This Book is absolutely useless,' said Piper, gesturing at the Book of Shadows. 'I looked through it for a page referring to white lighters. There is _nothing_! Not one measly entry on white lighters!'

'Piper, white lighters are there to guide new witches. Our covers would not be very good if you could read up on us in the Book of Shadows. You were never supposed to find out about me,' whispered Leo from his place on the attic sofa.

Piper's face contorted into a mix of emotions as she heard Leo address her. She was angry that he had kept all of this from her, but she was also upset to see him close to death like this – even though, according to what Phoebe had already told her, Leo was technically already dead.

'Try looking up dark lighters.'

Piper and Phoebe turned to the attic entrance. Paige was standing there.

'I thought you had stormed out,' said Phoebe.

'I had,' said Paige, walking into the attic. 'Until I remembered that there was an innocent involved.'

'Leo's our innocent?' said Piper.

Paige shook her head. 'Leo's charge is our innocent. Now look up dark lighters and I will explain more.'

Piper opened the Book of Shadows up and searched through for an entry on dark lighters, while Paige began to explain the Daisy and Alec predicament. At the same time, Phoebe picked up the damp cloth and other first aid supplies, attempting to tend to Leo's wound.

* * *

After half an hour, the following was certain: They had to find Daisy to save her from the dark lighter known as Alec; they had found a vanquishing spell in the Book of Shadows; and Leo's wound was clean, but if he was not healed soon, he would die.

'I have a question, Leo. You are a white lighter. You said you are already dead. How can you die again?' asked Phoebe impertinently.

'Phoebe!' shouted Piper.

'What? It's a fair question!' Phoebe retorted.

'It's okay. I can answer that,' said Leo. His voice was extremely weak now. 'Phoebe, no one is immortal, not even white lighters. For the grand design to be sustained, white lighters had to have some vulnerability. Hence why dark lighters exist.'

'You are _not_ going to die,' Piper said determinedly.

'Piper, I need you three to focus on saving Daisy. Don't focus on saving me,' said Leo.

'No,' said Piper. She looked away from Leo and began to flick through the pages of the Book again.

'Paige and I will see if we can find Daisy. We will be back as soon as possible,' said Phoebe.

Piper nodded in support of the plan. Paige orbed out with Phoebe.

'Piper…' Leo began in an attempt to change Piper's mind.

'Zip it, Leo. You should be resting,' said Piper, not wanting him to start up another debate on the subject.

Piper smiled when she found a spell that might help in the Book of Shadows.

'Paige may not be able to heal Leo because she is not a full white lighter, but what if _I_ had the powers of a full white lighter,' thought Piper.

Piper picked up the Book and wandered over to Leo. She sat on the floor beside the attic sofa, placing the open Book in her lap. She began to recite the spell:

'_What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine,_

_Let our powers cross the line_.'

Piper did not notice Phoebe and Paige orb into the attic behind her as she continued to recite the spell:

'_I offer up this gift to share,_

_Switch our powers through the air_.'

'Piper?' said Phoebe.

Piper was startled at hearing her sister's voice. She knocked the Book onto the floor as she stood up to face them.

'What was that spell we heard you recite?' asked Phoebe curiously.

Piper sniffed as she tried to hold back tears. 'Something that could save Leo's life.'

'Okay, but there is another life out there that we need to save, Piper,' said Paige. 'We just bumped into Daisy _and_ Alec. The good news is that Daisy managed to get away from Alec. The bad news is that we lost Daisy _and _we lost Alec too. We did not get a chance to use the vanquishing spell on him.'

'Find him and Daisy then,' said Piper.

'What can you achieve by staying here, Piper? We have no idea how to help Leo,' said Paige.

'I can now, if the spell worked,' replied Piper.

'I still want to know what this spell was,' said Phoebe. She tried to look past Piper to see what page the Book was open to. However, Piper purposely blocked Phoebe's view of the Book. 'Piper, let me see the Book!'

As Phoebe said the word 'Book', it disappeared in a flurry of orbs, reappearing in her outstretched hand.

'I don't think we need to look at the Book to know what the spell was,' said Paige. 'Please tell me that your spell gave me your exploding power and not Phoebe's premonitions!'

'Hey!' shouted Phoebe. 'My premonitions aren't that bad!'

'It's your fault for orbing in mid-spell,' said Piper. 'As long as I have Leo's powers, I don't care what the two of you do.'

Piper turned away from her sisters, hovering her hands over Leo's wound. Deciding that they were best not to break Piper's concentration, Phoebe and Paige left the attic.

* * *

In the foyer, Phoebe pulled a dead flower out of her bag. The two Halliwells had found Daisy at her apartment. Alec had turned up minutes later. Daisy had fled the scene, allowing Phoebe and Paige to deal with the dark lighter. However, Alec managed to escape. Phoebe and Paige had staid a bit longer to snoop around Daisy's apartment. A bouquet of dead flowers had been left on Daisy's coffee table. The flowers were evidently a gift from Alec. Phoebe had taken one of the flowers in an attempt to get a premonition off of it. So far this had been unsuccessful.

Phoebe handed the dead flower to Paige. Paige gasped as she was thrown into a premonition:

_Daisy was backed against a wall, staring at Alec who was slowly approaching her. There was a row of cubicles to one side of them and a row of sinks to the other side. There was a tannoy system audible in the background_.

As Paige came out of the premonition, she said, 'I didn't know that you had sound in your premonitions too.'

Phoebe nodded. 'What did you see?'

'Daisy and Alec. He had her cornered in a bathroom…' said Paige, narrowing her eyes as she focused on trying to remember what she had seen.

'Any idea where the bathroom was?' asked Phoebe. 'There are too many of those in San Francisco to search them all.'

'Er, I heard a tannoy system…' said Paige.

'So are we talking a supermarket bathroom, a train station bathroom, or –' Phoebe began but was interrupted.

'Bus depot,' Paige said when she managed to recall exactly what the tannoy system had said.

Phoebe nodded. 'Let's go save Daisy then.'

'We can do this without Piper. We managed to vanquish that ghost the other week while Piper was in Hawaii,' said Paige. 'Why can't we handle a dark lighter without her?'

'Exactly! We are ready for anything!' agreed Phoebe. 'Just one question… How do I orb us there?'

* * *

After a successful attempt at rescuing Daisy, but an unsuccessful attempt at vanquishing Alec, Phoebe and Paige returned to Halliwell manor with Daisy.

Phoebe, Paige, and Daisy went straight up to the attic. Piper was sat on the floor. Her head was resting against the sofa and Leo's body was limp. Piper was in tears.

'He's gone,' cried Piper.

Phoebe ran over to Piper and hugged her. Daisy ran out of the attic. Paige decided to run after her.

'Phoebe, I couldn't get the healing power to work. Leo would not tell me the trigger. He told me that I had to find it out by myself. If he had told me the trigger, I might have been able to save him.'

'It was not Leo's fault or yours,' said Phoebe. 'It was Leo's time to go. We have an innocent to look after, but you can stay here if you like. Paige and I can manage without you.'

Piper looked from the attic doorway to Phoebe.

'Who else came into the attic before, other than Paige?' Piper asked Phoebe as she wiped her tears away.

'Our innocent. Leo's charge,' said Phoebe.

Piper jumped to her feet. 'We may have lost Leo, but we will do him justice by saving his charge.'

Piper ran out of the attic. Phoebe followed.

* * *

After a victorious Piper-rant, Piper had persuaded Daisy to stay. Phoebe and Paige were keeping Daisy company downstairs, while Piper found herself standing on the attic steps. From the doorway, she observed Leo's lifeless figure. Piper did not know if she was brave enough to enter the attic.

'I failed you,' she whispered as she stared at Leo's body, no longer able to hold back tears.

As if she had been in a daze while walking towards him, Piper suddenly found herself kneeling on the floor, beside Leo's body. As she cried, she rested her head on his chest.

'I am so sorry, Leo,' Piper cried. 'I love you, but I never had the chance to tell you… Leo, I love you.'

A tear drop landed on Piper's hand and it began to glow. Piper gasped. She held her glowing hand over Leo's wound. Her hand was trembling but she tried to keep it as steady as possible. Leo's wound began to heal, until it was no longer there. Leo let out a gasp for air as he sat up. Piper embraced Leo in a hug before he even had a chance to remember where he was.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Piper was helping a worn out Leo walk downstairs. Phoebe, Paige, and Daisy ran into the foyer to find out what the noise was.

'Leo!' shouted Phoebe, Paige, and Daisy happily.

'You're alive!' said Paige.

'Technically he isn't,' Phoebe pointed out.

Piper shot Phoebe a warning look, before smiling at Leo.

'I got the power to work,' said Piper, joyfully.

'You can teach me one day,' said Paige. 'I may be half white lighter, but it will be possible for me to master healing one day, even if it takes a while.'

'Someone I love dearly once told me that you have to figure the trigger out for yourself,' said Piper.

'In other words, you won't tell me the trigger,' sighed Paige disappointedly.

Alec suddenly orbed into the foyer, grabbing Piper. He threatened to kill Piper if Daisy did not come with him. Alec's left hand began to glow bright red as he threatened to use the Touch of Death on Piper.

'Don't go with him, Daisy!' Piper shouted, trying to struggle out of Alec's grip.

'Piper, you can orb!' Phoebe shouted at Piper.

Piper focused on being back by Leo's side. In a flurry of orbs, she disappeared from Alec's reach and reappeared by Leo's side. Leo hugged Piper.

'Dark lighter's arrow!' Phoebe shouted, telekinetically orbing the arrow that had wounded Leo out of the attic and directing it into the foyer towards Alec.

The arrow pierced Alec and the red glow disappeared from his hand as he ripped the arrow out of his chest.

Alec smirked. 'Did you think that one of my own arrows could stop me?'

Alec's hand began to glow red again. Even though he was weak, Leo knew he had to keep his charge safe. He ushered Daisy upstairs, making sure to go with her in case Alec orbed after them.

Alec was now face to face with the three Charmed Ones. He slowly approached them, his hand glowing red.

Phoebe pulled the vanquishing spell out of her pocket. Paige grabbed Phoebe's arm to stop her from getting the spell out.

'I have a better idea,' said Paige. By herself she began to recite:

'_What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine,_

_Let our powers cross the line._

_I offer up this gift to share,_

_Switch our powers through the air_.'

The glowing red disappeared from Alec's hand. Paige's hand was now glowing red.

Paige smirked. 'I always wanted to know what it was like to have dark lighter powers, considering how I am part white lighter.'

'How could you have always wanted to know? You only found out about the whole mythology behind white lighters and dark lighters a few hours ago,' Piper pointed out.

Paige did not hear a word Piper had said. Paige was already pressing her hand up against Alec's forehead. Alec was screaming as the Touch of Death caused his head to burn up, followed by the rest of him. Before Alec was fully toast, Paige recited the power switching spell again so as she would not end up losing Phoebe's powers in the mix of it all.

With Alec vanquished, Daisy was able to return home safely. The Charmed Ones and their white lighter all switched their powers back to the original owner. Piper and Leo's relationship had peaked, but they decided that they would not be able to see each other for anything other than Charmed-related business due to the taboo of witch-white lighter relationships.

* * *

**August 1977 – Present Day for the Time Travelling Charmed Ones**

Backed against the cavern wall in the underworld, Prue and Piper watched as Wrexler approached them. He was preparing to use the Touch of Death.

Piper suddenly noticed an arrow lying on the floor next to her. This happened to be the arrow that Prue had pulled out of six-year-old Prue's shoulder. Piper quickly picked the arrow up and stuck it into Wrexler's chest.

Wrexler suddenly burst into flame, successfully vanquished.

'How did you know that would work?' Prue asked Piper as they stepped back from the wall.

'I didn't,' said Piper. 'The first time Phoebe, Paige, and I faced a dark lighter, we tried to kill him with his own arrow and he told us that one of his own arrows would not stop him. I was hoping that the arrow I found on the floor had come from a different dark lighter's crossbow.'

Prue smiled. 'That was some quick thinking.'

'Now let's find little Prue,' said Piper, marching out of the cavern.

Prue nodded, following Piper. Prue stopped walking when she noticed Piper had disappeared beneath a blanket of sparkling white orbs.

Prue sighed. 'Not again!'


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** Updates for this occur on Thursdays. They may not be every Thursday; so there could be gaps of one, two, three, or even four or more weeks between updates. Anonymous reviews asking for me to hurry up and post the next chapter (this is a reference to an anonymous review that I received yesterday on Wednesday) will not speed up the updates. If those type of reviews continue, the updates may only end up slowing down. Rant over. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five**

'_In amongst the midst of this riot,_

_Summon to me Leo Wyatt._

_His healing powers we require,_

_Before things become too dire_.'

A puzzled Leo appeared next to Phoebe in a flurry of silver orbs. Phoebe had been unable to contact Sam, so had decided to contact Leo instead. However, as he was not their white lighter yet – Leo was not due to be assigned as their white lighter for another twenty one years – it was not possible to call for Leo like normal. Therefore Phoebe had decided to quickly come up with a spell to summon her future brother-in-law. It was evident that her summoning spell had been successful.

'What's going on?' asked a disorientated Leo. 'Who are you and why did you bring me here?'

Phoebe had already thought out a reply to the questions she had been expecting this younger Leo to ask. Phoebe had decided that it was best if she did not reveal her true identity to him. She did not want to cause too many changes to the future – they were already trying to stop the pact between their mother and Nicholas. It was best that they did not change anything else by giving Leo future information. For this reason, Phoebe had to lie about who she and Paige were.

'There is no time for introductions! My white lighter is dying,' said Phoebe. 'Please heal her!'

Leo knelt down beside Paige, who was barely breathing as she lay on the grass. Phoebe knelt down next to Leo. She pulled the arrow out of Paige's back and threw it onto the grass. Leo's hands began to glow as he raised them over Paige's wound.

'I have never known a witch to summon a white lighter they have never met before with a made up spell,' said Leo as he continued to work on healing Paige.

'I will take that as a compliment,' said Phoebe.

'What happened to her?' Leo asked.

'Isn't it obvious? She got hit by a dark lighter's arrow,' said Phoebe, hoping that Leo did not want her to elaborate. Phoebe had no idea where Paige had appeared from. All Phoebe had figured was that there must have been a dark lighter present.

Before Leo could ask another question, he orbed on the spot, managing to miss a flying fireball. Forgetting that he was supposed to be continuing with the healing process, Leo turned to Phoebe angrily.

'Did you forget to vanquish a demon before summoning me here?' Leo asked.

Phoebe blushed. 'Actually it's a warlock who happens to have stolen the fireball power from a demon.'

It was true. When Paige had appeared in Piper's place, Phoebe's attention had been drawn away from Nicholas. Paige was badly injured and Phoebe's main focus had been to get her baby sister healed. Fortunately for them, Nicholas had been having fun taunting them with constant blasts of fireballs and lightning bolts, rather than staging a full-on attack.

'You call yourselves powerful witches!' Nicholas ridiculed. 'Face me then!'

Leo peered around the tree at Nicholas, who was staring in their direction, his hands planted at his sides. Leo quickly returned to his hiding spot behind the tree. Leo looked at Phoebe.

'Don't you think you should focus on vanquishing him then?' asked Leo.

'My si – white lighter is more important. Heal her!' shouted Phoebe. Paige had now lost all consciousness.

Leo knelt back onto the ground and continued the healing process. Not before he looked up at Phoebe and said, 'I have never seen a witch care so much about their white lighter.'

'Well, it just so happens that this white lighter is like family to me,' replied Phoebe.

As the wound on Paige's back closed, Leo helped her into a sitting up position. In her healed-but-still-weak state, Paige had to blink twice when she saw Leo.

'Leo? Where are we?' Paige asked. Her voice was slightly weak.

Leo raised an eyebrow. 'You know me?'

Her brief moments of unconsciousness had caused Paige to forget that the major issue was _when_ they were, not _where_ they were.

'Of course she knows you, Leo,' said Phoebe quickly as she dodged a lightning bolt. 'Most white lighters know one another, don't they?'

Leo frowned. 'I have never seen her up there before.'

'Up there? Why would I go _up there_?' asked Paige, who was still slightly out of it. Paige was quickly distracted by a fireball heading her way. 'Fireball!' Paige shouted, holding her hand out to telekinetically orb it away.

Knowing that Paige's telekinetic orbing would not work, Phoebe hastily pushed Paige out of the way. Phoebe really did not need to have an unconscious Paige in her care again. As the fireball caused a bush behind them to burst into flame, Paige stared at her hands.

Paige furrowed her brows. 'Why… didn't… that… work?' she said hesitantly. As she finished her question, she looked over at Phoebe.

'Why would it work?' countered Leo, who was clueless about that fact that Paige was half witch. However, Paige did not hear this remark.

As the three of them – now all on their feet – dodged another fireball, Paige asked, 'Phoebe, shouldn't we be attacking? Where's Piper?'

'Piper..?' asked Leo, as the three of them avoided a lightning blast.

Paige frowned again. 'Your wi –' Phoebe clamped her hand over Paige's mouth.

'Paige was just asking 'You're Wyatt, right?' You know, as in your last name?' Phoebe quickly said.

Leo narrowed his eyes. 'Yes… I thought we already established that she knows of me, even though I don't know of her…'

It was Paige's turn to narrow her eyes. She grabbed Phoebe's hand, pulling it away from her face, and said to Leo, 'Excuse me?'

Before the conversation of confusion could continue, Nicholas approached the three of them.

'I am getting bored of the three of you,' sighed Nicholas. 'It was more interesting when the other witch was here. She actually attempted to pose a threat to my plans.' Nicholas turned to Paige, and continued with, 'Her replacement was more interesting when unconscious.' Then Nicholas looked at Leo, and continued with, 'Bringing in a white lighter added to the boredom of the battle. Too much healing, too little fighting.' Finally Nicholas turned to Phoebe, and said, 'There is one thing I can thank you for, witch. The concept of going after the mother of the young Charmed Ones. Thank you for the tip-off that the newest generation of Halliwells consists of the Charmed Ones.' Nicholas blinked and he was gone.

Phoebe was standing there with her mouth hanging open. She had finally realised her stupidity in saying all she had told Nicholas earlier. She finally understood why Piper had been annoyed at her.

Paige gasped. Nicholas' mention of 'the young Charmed Ones' had triggered the return of her short term memory. She suddenly remembered they were in the past and understood why Phoebe had been calling Paige her white lighter and trying to stop telling Leo – this young, not yet assigned as their white lighter, Leo – future information.

Leo's confusion had disappeared, replaced with the desire for answers. He turned to face both Phoebe and Paige.

'Did he just say that Piper and Phoebe Halliwell are two of the Charmed Ones? The Elders were right that the prophecy would be fulfilled during this generation of Warren witches…' When Phoebe nodded in reply to Leo's question, he continued. 'That warlock also said that _you_ told him that they are the Charmed Ones. How did _you_ know that? Only white lighters and Elders are supposed to know.' Before Phoebe could answer, he turned to Paige and added, 'Did you tell your charge? We white lighters are under strict orders to keep that information a secret!' After a brief pause while Leo shook his head disapprovingly at Paige, Leo suddenly said, 'Hang on. Piper is not a common name. When you asked where Piper was before, were you referring to little Piper Halliwell?'

Phoebe and Paige exchanged nervous looks. Both were hesitant about answering the questions that had been posed to each of them.

Phoebe took a deep breath before turning her gaze back to Leo. 'You know that I am a witch, right? Well, my power happens to be premonition. Their mother is pregnant with her fo – third child, right? I had a premonition, where the Power of Three was formed soon after the third child was born. Unfortunately, that warlock overheard me telling my white lighter here about my premonition. That's how he found out. Therefore it is not my white lighter's fault that I knew about it in the first place.'

Slowly Leo nodded. 'That seems to make sense, except… How did you manage to tell your white lighter all of this if she was badly injured by a dark lighter's arrow when she orbed in?'

Phoebe closed her eyes tightly as she tried to think of a way to cover up yet another loose end in her lies. Paige, on the other hand, smiled. She was happy to have more time to think up her reasons for mentioning Piper's name.

'I never said she orbed here injured,' said Phoebe.

'You didn't, but the warlock did,' said Leo. 'He also said that there was another witch present before her…'

Phoebe sighed. 'The presence of that other witch will be explained by my white lighter.'

'How about the dark lighter arrow injury explanation?' asked Leo.

Phoebe groaned. She had been hoping that she had managed to avoid having to answer that question.

'Why don't you explain? You are the one who experienced it first hand,' Phoebe said, turning to Paige. 'We really should give Leo the whole story.'

Paige scowled at Phoebe. Paige did not like being pushed into the middle of things like that.

'When –' Paige suddenly stopped with her explanation. She was finding it hard to think of a way of explaining things without mentioning Phoebe's name. 'Do you know our names yet?'

Leo shook his head. Phoebe seemed to understand why Paige had asked. Considering Leo knew of the Halliwell family, Phoebe could not use her own name. Paige could use her own, as she was not yet born.

'I am P. Russell,' said Phoebe, using her past life's name with the hope that Leo would not make any connections to the people involved in his own past life.

'What's the P stand for?' asked Leo.

Phoebe frowned. She never actually did find that out. Therefore, Phoebe decided to make it up. Unfortunately, the first 'P' name that came to mind – that is one that was not 'Piper', 'Phoebe', or 'Paige' – was:

'Prue. Prue Russell,' said Phoebe, shaking Leo's hand.

'I'm Paige,' added Paige, to continue the introductions. 'Paige… er…' Paige paused as she tried to think up a fake last name. Suddenly she remembered a surname that Kyle had told her belonged to her in his alternate timeline. 'Matthews. Paige Matthews.'

'Nice to meet you, Prue and Paige,' said Leo. 'Could we continue with the explanations now?'

Phoebe and Paige nodded.

'When Prue here called for me, I was taking care of another charge. A charge called Piper… Nothing to do with this Piper Halliwell that you mentioned… 'The Piper I was referring to is a potential white lighter,' improvised Paige. 'I was healing her because she had just been attacked by a dark lighter. When I heard Prue's call, I orbed straight here. Prue began to explain her premonition to me. I think the dark lighter must have followed my orb trail here, because I suddenly felt a pain in my back and then that's it. After you healed me, I was a little out of it when I came back to consciousness, so forgot that I was not with my potential white lighter charge, hence my 'Where's Piper?' question.'

'Everything seems to be adding up,' Leo said. 'How about the other witch that the warlock mentioned?'

Although she had said that Paige would explain it, Phoebe had now come up with a lie, so decided to answer before Paige could.

'I did not realise that Nicholas – the warlock – was here, listening in on my conversation. I came here to discuss something with a witch friend of mine. Then I had a premonition. I did not tell her about it. She left because she had to get back home. That's when I called Paige. She orbed in. I explained my premonition to her. The dark lighter orbed in, shot Paige, and orbed out. Then Nicholas made his presence known by starting to attack me.'

'How about the fact that he said that he had conversed with this witch friend of yours?' asked Leo.

'That is because he must have been going after her before Prue showed up to speak to her,' put in Paige. 'I assume he must have hid while they spoke. Prue's friend's reason for leaving must have been to go and look for Nicholas.'

'Exactly,' said Phoebe, glad that her baby sister could think up lies as well as she could.

'Do you know who is at the top of the list to be assigned as the Halliwell children's white lighter?' Paige suddenly asked Leo.

'I would assume Sam,' said Leo.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged knowing looks. They knew that Sam would be clipping his wings soon after Paige was born. Therefore Sam never had the chance to be assigned as their white lighter.

'Leo, I think you should try to get your name to the top of that list. Just in case, Sam does not get chosen to do it,' said Phoebe with a smile.

'Thanks for the advice, but I should really go and find Sam. I need to warn him that a warlock is after Patty and the girls,' said Leo.

Paige shook her head. 'Don't. We will do that for you.'

Leo frowned. 'I know the family. I should do it.'

'Listen to us, Leo. We will handle it,' said Phoebe. 'You and Sam cannot fight Nicholas. Paige and I can. We know two other people that can help us too.'

'I should really warn –' Leo was about to repeat, but he was interrupted.

'The Halliwells have never faced Nicholas before,' Phoebe mentioned. 'My si – friends and I have. We may not have been able to stop him before, but we believe we may have figured out how to.'

'Trust us, Leo,' said Paige.

Leo sighed. 'Okay. Are you sure you don't want me to stick around to help?'

Phoebe shook her head. 'You have charges to keep your focus on.'

'Surely Paige has other charges too,' said Leo.

'I am relatively new at this. I only have been assigned two charges so far: That potential white lighter I mentioned and Prue,' Paige fabricated. 'The potential white lighter is safe for now, so my main focus is on looking out for Prue.'

Leo nodded. 'I will be orbing into Halliwell manor one hour from now to check on things,' he said before orbing out.

Phoebe and Paige looked at one another as they now stood alone in the park.

Phoebe smirked. 'You are getting good at the lying thing, Paige.'

'What can I say? I take after my sister, or should I say charge?' replied Paige.

'Sorry. I could not say you were a witch lighter. Nor could I say you were an ordinary witch considering you were dying from the impalement of a dark lighter's arrow,' Phoebe apologised.

'That's okay,' said Paige. 'So where are we going to start our search for Nicholas? The manor?'

Phoebe shook her head. 'We are going to start by rewording my spell to bring Prue and Piper here.'

'You cannot do that!' shouted Paige.

Phoebe frowned. 'Why not? We need them here. We need to work together to defeat Nicholas.'

'Do you not realise there is a dark lighter where Prue is?' asked Paige.

'I did assume that, yes,' said Phoebe. 'By the way, where were you?'

'In the underworld, which is where Prue is now,' said Paige.

'Then that is where Piper will be too,' muttered Phoebe. She added in a louder volume, 'So what if we have them abandon the dark lighter in the underworld? Does it matter? The dark lighter will live another day, but Prue and Piper will be safe.'

'_They_ will be, but then they will have abandoned their innocent in the underworld,' Paige said.

'There's an innocent involved? We have gone back to 1977, yet we still manage to find an innocent we have to look after?' Phoebe moaned.

Paige decided it was best not to explain who the innocent was. They were wasting time as it was.

'Hmm,' said Phoebe. 'I guess I could use the spell to send myself there. Then I can come up with a new spell once in the underworld to bring me back to the park with the innocent included.'

Paige narrowed her eyes. 'Why do you assume that you are the only one who can make up spells on the spot?'

'I don't assume anything. I _am_ the best of Piper, you, and me at spell crafting,' Phoebe explained.

'One made up vanquishing spell goes awry and I never live it down,' sighed Paige.

Phoebe was not listening. She was thinking over the spell that she had recited earlier. The spell that had replaced Piper with Paige, sending Piper to be with Prue. Phoebe began to recite a slightly altered version of it:

'_Eldest to youngest, youngest to eldest,_

_Summon them at this time of risk._

_Halliwells are scattered all over the place,_

_Bring them together in much haste_.'

As Phoebe's form became enshrined in sparkling white orbs, Paige rolled her eyes. 'You think you are so good at making up spells. That was not even a proper rhyme!'

The sparkling white orbs disappeared to reveal Piper. Piper must have been in the middle of running when the spell had been cast because she continued to run in the direction she had been facing until she realised that her surroundings had changed. Piper came to a halt and turned around to see Paige staring at her.

Piper scowled. 'I need to get back to Prue!'

Paige looked upset at that remark. 'Does everyone hate my company?'

* * *

**A/N:** Leo is not the only past version that they will be bumping into. Prue and Phoebe will be bumping into the past version of someone else they know in the following chapter. Guess who? Please review.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** I am using Paige's logic from _A Knight to Remember_ in this chapter. I won't go into anymore detail on that because I don't want to completely spoil that part.

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**Chapter Twenty Six**

Prue stood in the dim corridor outside the cavern that both dark lighters had been vanquished in. The mass of sparkling white orbs illuminated the corridor. As the orbs died down, the corridor was left in complete darkness. Therefore Prue could not see who Piper had been replaced with.

'Paige?' Prue called into the darkness.

'Try Phoebe,' said Phoebe. 'Prue?'

'Why wouldn't it be me?' asked Prue.

'The same reason why I could have been Paige. My switching places spell does not specify which sister it will switch with,' explained Phoebe. 'Why is it so dark?'

'I don't know,' began Prue, but she stopped speaking as a scream became audible, echoing across the tunnel.

Prue broke into a run, running in the direction that she had heard the scream come from. She kept her hands held out in front of her to avoid running into any walls as she was technically running blind.

Prue could hear footsteps behind her. She assumed that Phoebe was following as Phoebe would have heard the scream as well.

Soon Prue rounded a corner and the cavern that she entered contained enough light to see what was going on. A tall demon whose skin was red and covered in tattoos and tribal markings was holding little Prue in one of his enormous hands. Little Prue was unconscious again. An energy ball was forming in the demon's other hand.

'Let her go!' Prue yelled, attracting the demon's attention.

The energy ball remained in his hand. He held it threateningly close to little Prue as he smiled wickedly at Prue.

Prue narrowed her eyes in anger at the taunting demon. As if he had been pushed off his feet, the demon flew backwards into a nearby wall. The surprise of this sudden movement caused him to drop little Prue to the ground.

Phoebe finally caught up with Prue.

'Do you know how hard it is to run after someone in the dark?' moaned Phoebe. Suddenly her eyes rested on the demon that was slowly getting back to his feet. 'Cole…'

'Where?' asked Prue, looking around for the man that was Phoebe's boyfriend.

'Witches…' snarled Belthazor, staring at Prue and Phoebe menacingly.

'Him,' Phoebe replied to Prue. 'That's Cole.'

'What? Do you need glasses or something? That looks nothing like him!' argued Prue.

Belthazor had not heard this exchange of words between the two Halliwells. His eyes had set on the innocent that lay unconscious in the space between him and the two witches. Prue and Phoebe noticed this.

'Cole! No!' Phoebe shouted as he directed an energy ball at the innocent. Prue and Phoebe were not going to be fast enough to get the innocent out of the way.

Prue threw her arm out and the energy ball redirected itself into a wall. Phoebe turned to Prue, staring at her in awe.

'What happened to all of us not having our powers in the past?' asked Phoebe.

Knowing there was not enough time to figure out the answer, Prue decided to use her sudden return of telekinesis to her advantage. She swept her arm threw the air, pushing Belthazor backwards. Prue kept repeating this motion in an attempt to not give him a chance to form another approach of attack on them.

Noticing what Prue was doing, Phoebe ran over to the unconscious innocent and dragged her to the side of the tunnel so as she was out of the firing line. Phoebe got a good look at the unconscious six-year-old's face as she did this. Phoebe almost let go of the innocent in surprise.

'She looks like… Prue,' thought Phoebe. 'She can't be… Can she?'

Phoebe did not want to have to fight Belthazor, even though he was still technically evil in this time. Therefore, Phoebe remained by the six-year-old, in case Belthazor turned his attentions back on her.

Prue was trying to put all her might into using her telekinesis to throw Belthazor across the tunnel, but she did not have enough power. She was starting to get a little exhausted from over-use of her telekinesis.

Prue took a split second to take a quick rest from her telekinetic attacks. Belthazor took this brief moment as a chance to form and throw an energy ball in Prue's direction. Phoebe was watching all of this and she knew what Prue was going to do before Prue had even made the action.

'Prue! Don't!' Phoebe yelled out as Prue motioned her hand outwards, causing the energy ball to redirect towards Belthazor.

Phoebe charged over to Belthazor and pushed him to the ground, saving him from his high voltage energy ball. The energy ball hit the wall behind them, causing the wall to tremble a little as loose rocks rained downwards.

'Phoebe!' shouted Prue. 'What do you think you are doing?'

Phoebe got to her feet, but Belthazor grabbed her left ankle, causing her to trip back to the ground.

'Thanks for the favour, witch,' Belthazor said as he got to his feet. 'Don't expect me to repay it.'

Phoebe stared up at the threatening demon from where she lay on the ground. He may have been Cole, but he was not _her_ Cole, not yet. He had another twenty three years to get through before he became _her _Cole. With those thoughts in mind, Phoebe swung her right leg upwards, making contact with Belthazor, causing him to stumble backwards in pain.

Phoebe got to her feet. She staggered a little as her left ankle was beginning to swell up from when Belthazor had pulled her back to the ground. Prue had already picked up her unconscious past self. Prue and Phoebe exchanged silent looks before making their way out of the tunnel while Belthazor was still deterred.

Prue and little Prue had already gone out of sight of the tunnel that Belthazor was in. Phoebe turned around quickly to look at the half demon that was twenty three years younger than the one she would meet in twenty three years time.

Belthazor began to walk towards Phoebe, an energy ball forming in his hand, and a glowering scowl visible on his face.

'Wait,' said Phoebe. 'I have a proposition for you, _Cole_.'

The demon stopped in his tracks, perplexed that she knew of that name. He had been too focused on killing the witches and their innocent during their previous battle to listen to the multiple times that Phoebe had mentioned his name to Prue. Although he had stopped, the energy ball was still alight in his hand.

'How do you know about that part of me?' growled Belthazor.

'I will answer your question, if and only if, you speak to me in your human form,' negotiated Phoebe.

'I have not used that form in decades,' barked Belthazor.

'Then I think it is time to give Cole some fresh air,' said Phoebe, not fazed by the intimidating tone in Belthazor's voice. 'The little boy that saved that girl from the run away horse is still inside you, Cole.'

Belthazor narrowed his eyes at Phoebe. 'How do you know about that?'

'I heard a story from a… friend,' said Phoebe, recalling the bedtime story that she had heard Cole telling Petey. It felt like it had been years since the night that the Halliwell sisters had babysat Petey. So much had happened since then.

Belthazor's form changed into that of Cole. He looked a few years younger than the Cole that Phoebe knew, even though this was twenty or so years in the past. He was wearing a different outfit to that of his demonic counterpart. Cole wore a ripped grey t-shirt and long loose fitting trousers.

'Now tell me, witch,' began Cole. 'How do you know about my past?'

'I know people who know people about other people,' said Phoebe teasingly.

'Tell me, witch!' shouted Cole, an energy ball forming in his hand again.

Phoebe's smile did not falter at the sight of the energy ball. 'You won't hurt me, Cole. I told you before that I have a proposition for you, and I stand by it.'

Cole glared at Phoebe. The energy ball fizzled out as Cole put his hands to his sides.

'What's this proposition?' he asked.

'Are you in law school at all?' Phoebe asked.

Cole frowned. 'Law school? Are you trying to suggest I should return to the surface world and be _good_? My human half is not in control anymore. I am a demon. That is it.'

'I was never suggesting that you turn good, Cole,' said Phoebe. 'I was suggesting that you return to the surface world in ten years time, and set up a human cover for yourself. To do that you should attend law school, get yourself a law degree, get yourself experienced in the court room…'

'Why would I want to do that?' asked Cole.

'A demon is always more of a threat to a witch when the demon has an established cover in the surface world,' explained Phoebe.

Cole narrowed his eyes as he stared at Phoebe. 'Why would you – a good witch – be giving me – an evil half demon – advice?'

'I have my reasons,' said Phoebe. 'I saved you from your own energy ball, didn't I? You can trust me.'

Phoebe was about to turn around to walk away when she stopped and looked back at Cole again.

'Oh, I almost forgot to say. In twenty three years time, you will be hired by the Triad to go after the Charmed Ones,' Phoebe clarified. 'Your cover as a lawyer will work perfectly during that time.'

'The Triad? Hire me?' asked Cole. 'I don't see that happening. Belthazor is well known down here, but I doubt he is that well known for the Triad to consider him worthy of a task.'

'Well, you should make sure to change that,' Phoebe said. 'Make yourself known, Cole.'

Their conversation over, Phoebe walked away down the tunnel, leaving Cole to contemplate her words.

After about five minutes of wandering down a dimly lit tunnel, Phoebe found Prue and the six-year-old.

'Hey. I wondered where you had disappeared to,' said Prue. 'What were you doing?'

Phoebe smiled. 'Setting Cole on the path to meet me in' – Phoebe looked at her watch for added effect – 'twenty three years time.'

'So you changed the future?' asked Prue.

Phoebe shook her head. 'Of course not! Cole may have been evil when I first met him, but if he had not been evil, I probably would have never had the chance to meet him.'

'Then what exactly did you do just now?' asked Prue.

'All it was was me making sure that he had his sights set on getting hired by the correct bad guys,' Phoebe said. Phoebe's eyes wandered to the unconscious six-year-old in Prue's arms. 'That's you, isn't it?'

Prue still had her mind on the previous conversation. Therefore, this question of Phoebe's led to a puzzled expression forming on Prue's face.

'_Me_? Of course not! Why would I be the bad guy that hires Cole? I think I would remember something like that!' Prue's eyes wandered down to her six-year-old self as she contemplated the fact that she did not even remember this underworld experience that her six-year-old self had experienced while she was still conscious. That is when Prue realised that Phoebe's question had been about Prue's younger self. Prue blushed as she said, 'Oh, you meant her! Yeah. She is me.'

'Why is she in the underworld?' asked Phoebe.

'Long story. Cliff notes version: It looks like Sam kept watch over me, because he knew I was a witch. Dark lighters noticed this and thought I was a potential white lighter, so kidnapped me. Paige and I followed the dark lighters down here. Piper vanquished both of them – not before little me woke up and ran away. Then you and I found Beltha – Cole… And you know the rest,' explained Prue.

Phoebe put her hand to her chin as she thought this over.

'I came here to make sure that your innocent was safe before using my new spell to bring the four of us to one place,' said Phoebe. 'I guess we could use it to take little you with us.'

Prue shook her head. 'Little me has to go back to the docks! That is what happened on that day – today – when I was that six-year-old…'

Phoebe nodded. 'I wonder…'

'What?' asked Prue.

'Cole, I know you have been listening!' shouted Phoebe.

Prue jumped in surprise. She had not expected Phoebe to raise her voice like that while they were in demon central.

Cole wandered out from behind an indent in the wall.

'I had to find out more about you,' stated Cole.

Phoebe smirked. 'I knew you would want to do that, which is why I knew you were there.'

'What did you mean when you said you will meet me in twenty three years time?' asked Cole. 'Who are you? What is your name?'

'I will answer that question if you shimmer us onto the surface world. Take us somewhere near the docks that is not so public,' said Phoebe. Phoebe suddenly frowned. 'Hang on. What docks? There are no docks in San Francisco.'

Prue sighed. 'Portland. That's where we went before while you guys went to the park.'

Phoebe turned back to Cole. 'Portland docks, please.'

Cole frowned. He did not reply immediately. He was deep in thought, wondering whether it would be more worthwhile for him to kill the witches instead of complying with their wishes in his search for answers.

'Fine,' Cole eventually replied.

Phoebe smiled. She took Cole's hand. Cole quickly moved his hand away from hers, perplexed by the sudden contact.

'I don't… _hold_ hands,' said Cole.

Cole put his hand on Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe took Prue's free hand. Prue's other hand was keeping hold of the six-year-old who was resting against Prue's shoulder.

Cole shimmered them into the cabin of an empty boat. Prue did not recognise the boat, so it was not the same one that she and Paige had followed the dark lighters onto earlier. Before any of them could leave the cabin, Cole blocked the doorway.

'I kept up my end of the deal,' said Cole. 'Now it is time for you to keep your end. Who are you?'

Phoebe smiled. 'I am Prue Russell.' Phoebe tried to avoid the scowl that she knew Prue was directing her way for the use of that first name. 'My friend here is…' Phoebe paused to contemplate Prue's fake name. She knew that she wanted to use the surname _Bowen_ as Phoebe was sure that was Prue's past life. However, Phoebe had no idea what the _P_ in _P. Bowen_ stood for. 'Well, everyone just calls her P. Bowen for short, because her first name is so long.' With all the spells and lies she had had to create over the last few hours, Phoebe's creativeness was practically running dry.

'Russell and Bowen… I will make sure to meet you again one of these days,' said Cole seriously.

'Just try and find us,' said Phoebe. 'It might take you almost three decades to find people that look exactly like the two of us though.'

Ignoring Phoebe's remark, Cole added, 'Who's she? You said she was you. How is that possible?' He was looking over at little Prue.

'There is more to me than you will ever know,' answered Prue, glaring at Cole. 'Stay away from her.'

Cole held his hands up innocently. 'I may be evil, but I will oblige… Only because Russell intrigues me.' Cole turned to Phoebe. 'What are you, Russell? A witch gone bad? An undercover demonic Seer?'

Phoebe did not let her expression give herself away. All she replied with was: 'I will answer your question in exactly twenty four years time. That is a promise.'

Cole took one last look at Phoebe before he shimmered out.

'Phoe –' Prue began, but Phoebe interrupted her.

'Bowen, let's keep to these names until we find Piper and Paige,' said Phoebe. 'Cole could still be snooping.'

Prue nodded. 'Do you not care if he knows their names, Russell?'

'You already mentioned their names while you were explaining what had happened during your trip in the underworld,' said Phoebe. 'He probably already heard their names.'

'I see,' said Prue. She readjusted little Prue in her arms. 'I was a heavy six-year-old. Can we get her out onto the docks and then leave?'

Phoebe nodded. 'Sure.'

Phoebe emerged from the boat by herself. She looked around. The docks were relatively empty. It was pouring with rain and the sea was pretty rough. Phoebe looked back inside the boat and beckoned for Prue to follow her.

Prue and Phoebe, with unconscious little Prue, walked onto the docks.

'Ugh,' said Prue as she felt the cold rain. 'I better not get ill from this.'

'You or her?' asked Phoebe.

'Her. She is the one being left in this rain, not me!' said Prue.

Phoebe followed Prue as they left the docks and wandered onto the adjacent street. Prue placed little Prue onto the concrete pathway.

'Should we use the same spell that we got from the Book to send us to Piper and Paige?' Phoebe asked Prue.

'Not yet,' said Prue, looking around.

Phoebe looked puzzled. 'Why?'

'I was found by two passers by on this street…' said Prue.

'There's no one but us here,' said Phoebe, a little slow to catch up.

'Exactly,' said Prue.

Prue wandered over to a row of nearby houses and knocked on the closest door. Phoebe had remained behind with the unconscious six-year-old, unsure of what Prue was doing. The door opened after a minute or two of Prue's constant knocking.

'Yes?' said the irritated home owner who looked like they had just been woken up. Unfortunately for the home owner, Prue currently had no concept of time, as she had no idea what time of day it was.

'Sorry to disturb you, but I need you to phone the emergency services,' said Prue hurriedly. 'My sister and I found a girl out there in the pouring rain. She is unconscious and has some injuries!'

The homeowner peered over Prue's shoulder. When the homeowner caught sight of little Prue lying on the ground, they looked shocked.

'Oh dear! I will phone the emergency services right away!' With those words the homeowner slammed the door in Prue's face. The homeowner was apparently still annoyed with Prue for waking them up, despite the situation.

Prue made her way back over to Phoebe. The first thing Prue noticed was Phoebe grinning at her.

Prue furrowed her brow. 'Pheebs? Why are you smiling like that?'

Phoebe's eyes widened in delight at Prue's questions.

'What?' asked Prue, frowning.

'First of all, I overheard you calling me your sister when you spoke to the person at that house,' began Phoebe.

'It was the first thing that popped into my mind. I still need evid –' Prue replied, but Phoebe interrupted her.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah! Evidence. Proof and evidence. I get it,' said Phoebe. 'And second of all, you called me 'Pheebs' just now.'

Prue did not see the relevance of shortening Phoebe's name. 'So?' Then Prue looked annoyed at herself. 'Oh damn! I was supposed to call you Prue, wasn't I? Cole might still be listening.'

Phoebe shook her head. 'That's not why.'

'Then why?' asked Prue.

'The only people who ever call me 'Pheebs' are Piper and Paige,' explained Phoebe. 'It's a family thing… That shows that you see me as family.' Phoebe hugged the person that she was sure was her eldest sister.

Prue stood there awkwardly until the hug had finished. People were beginning to leave their houses and wander over to where little Prue lay.

'Looks like the person I spoke to has already phoned the whole neighbourhood as well as the emergency services,' muttered Prue. 'I think this is our cue to leave.'

Phoebe nodded. She and Prue took one last look at little Prue before heading down an empty alley where they recited the spell that would take them to Piper and Paige.

* * *

**A/N:** I have only just realised that Prue and Phoebe never got around to discussing Prue's sudden burst of telekinesis. That will be brought back up in another chapter. Your guesses are welcome. The biggest clue will probably be from what I wrote in the first _A/N_ of this chapter.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: **The power channeling thing is brought up again and will be given an explanation in this chapter. **MsDrea**, little Prue's powers are bound, but I think it would still be possible to channel the bound powers. In _A Knight to Remember_, Paige is able to reopen the portal to take them back to their present day even after the Evil Enchantress' powers are bound - I presume that's how they get back to the present in that episode, anyway.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Piper was standing a small distance away from Paige, who was facing her. Piper had appeared in the park moments earlier and seemed extremely annoyed to be there instead of back in the underworld.

'Paige, I need to get back to Prue!' Piper repeated, a little frantically.

Paige took a few steps towards her older sister.

'No, you don't,' said Paige.

'Yes, I do! Little Prue had just run off into the tunnel! Prue and I were going after her!' shouted Piper. 'The underworld is full of demons! Little Prue won't be safe!'

'Piper! Phoebe is there with Prue, so she still has help with finding little Prue!' Paige said loudly.

'Oh,' said Piper, calming down a little, and suddenly realising that Phoebe was not with them in the park. Then Piper furrowed her brow. 'Where's Nicholas? Did you and Phoebe vanquish him?'

'Er… Not exactly. He got away and is going after Mum now,' said Paige, embarrassed at how badly she and Phoebe had done at stopping Nicholas.

'_What_? I go away for half an hour, vanquish two dark lighters, and come back to find that you and Phoebe let Nicholas get away?' moaned Piper.

Paige raised her hands defensively as she tried to get herself out of trouble. 'Look, it wasn't my fault. I was down and dying throughout most of the time that I was here.'

'Down and dying?' Piper's eyes wandered up and towards the right as she tried to remember something.

_'Why? What is wrong with Paige?' Piper had asked Prue while they had been in the underworld._

_'Connect the dots, Piper. What type of evil being did you just vanquish?' said Prue, not wanting to spell it out for Piper._

_Piper looked towards the cavern entrance where the ashes of the vanquished dark lighter remained._

_'Oh no…' said Piper, making the connection. She realised that Paige had been shot by an arrow, a dark lighter's arrow._

Piper turned to Paige and hugged her.

'Piper, please let go! I want to be able to breathe!' Paige yelled.

Piper let go of her little sister. Piper's smile faded as her expression became one of confusion.

'Not that I want you to be dying still, but _how_ exactly are you okay now?' asked Piper. 'Who did you call?'

Paige sighed. 'I didn't call anyone. I was practically out of it.'

Piper rolled her eyes.

Paige pointed at Piper. 'Ha! You just rol –'

'Don't say it!' said Piper. 'Anyway, you know what I meant. Who did Phoebe call to heal you?'

'I don't know how she did it considering he is not assigned to us yet, but she managed to get Leo here,' said Paige.

Piper's eyes widened. '_My_ Leo?'

'Technically he is not going to be your Leo until you two start dating in 1998, which is a whole twenty one years away,' said Paige.

Piper refrained from rolling her eyes at Paige's remark to avoid another of Paige's observations.

'What was Phoebe's plan? Was she going to bring Prue back with her?' Piper asked Paige.

'That sounds about right,' said Paige.

Piper shook her head. 'It won't do. The two of us are going to find Mum now. We cannot give Nicholas anymore of a head start! Are you with me?'

Paige nodded. 'That's a lot more interesting than Phoebe's plan of waiting here for her to return.'

'Let's go then,' said Piper as she began to walk along a path.

Paige began to hurry after Piper.

'Go? Go where? We don't know where Mum is!' said Paige.

'Which is why we are going to the most likely place that Nicholas would expect her to be,' explained Piper.

'The manor,' muttered Paige in understanding.

Piper and Paige began their journey out of the park onto the street. They knew their way from there to the manor. While the two of them were walking, Paige decided to start up another conversation.

'So… Piper… What's it like dating a white lighter?' Paige asked slowly.

'I am not dating one. I am married to one,' replied Piper.

'I know, but what is it like dating one?' Paige asked.

'Asks the girl that is part white lighter,' laughed Piper.

'Yeah, but I am not exactly going to date myself,' said Paige, a little disgruntled that Piper was not understanding her point.

Clocking onto what Paige meant, Piper said, 'How are things with Kyle?'

Paige shrugged. 'I think… I don't know… I know he likes me… I _might_ like him…'

Piper smiled. 'Paige, follow your heart.'

The two sisters had reached Prescott Street. Halliwell manor was visible in the clear day light from where they stood. Piper and Paige made their way over to the manor.

'What's the plan, considering we are powerless?' asked Paige.

'One step at a time, Paige. No pun intended,' said Piper as they made their way up the manor steps towards the porch.

'What's the first step then?' asked Paige.

'Gaining entry,' said Piper, knocking on the front door.

After waiting for a reply for five minutes, Piper knocked again. 'Someone has to be home,' said Piper determinedly. After two more minutes of frequent knocking, the door opened to reveal Penny Halliwell.

'Yes?' said Penny, eyeing Piper and Paige. 'We are a little busy right now. Please come back later.'

'We can't! You're in grave danger!' said Paige quickly.

Penny's eyes narrowed. 'Grave danger? Who are you?'

'Witches and we know that your grandchildren are the Charmed Ones,' Piper blurted out, knowing that they could not waste anymore time in case Nicholas turned up.

'How can you possibly know that?' asked Penny.

'We know. That's all that matters. A warlock happens to know as well and he is after your daughter and your grandchildren,' said Paige. 'We want to help you.'

'How do I know you are not the evil threat that you refer to?' asked Penny, raising an eyebrow.

Piper and Paige exchanged looks as they tried to figure out a way to prove that they were good and trustworthy.

'If we were the evil threat, why would we be warning you of impending evil?' Piper pointed out.

'The only people who knew that your grandchildren will be the Charmed Ones were you, the Elders, and most white lighters. One warlock has found out. You have to trust us!' added Paige.

'If you are mere witches, how do you know that piece of information?' asked Penny, still not convinced.

'Another witch, who is on her way with reinforcement, had a premonition. That's how,' replied Paige.

There was suddenly a scream that reverberated through the Halliwell household. Penny ran indoors and up the stairs towards the source of the noise. Piper and Paige took this chance to enter the manor. They followed Penny up the stairs, ready to face Nicholas.

As they followed Penny into the bedroom that the scream had resounded from, they realised that Nicholas was nowhere to be seen. A very pregnant Patty Halliwell was lying on the bed. She looked like she was in pain. It was evident that she was currently in labour. Sam was by her side, holding one of her hands tight. Penny began murmuring supportive words to her daughter.

'This could explain why Sam went extremely pale and orbed out mid-conversation in the attic,' Piper whispered to Paige.

'It would also explain why he was too distracted to keep his eye on little Prue…' muttered Paige.

'I think we have just figured out the exact date, Paige,' Piper whispered.

Paige nodded. 'August 2nd 1977. My birthday.'

* * *

Prue and Phoebe appeared out of nowhere in the living room of Halliwell manor. Phoebe frowned when she realised where they had appeared.

'I told Paige not to move!' grumbled Phoebe, who had been expecting for the spell to send her to the park.

'Well at least we know they are somewhere in the house,' whispered Prue.

Phoebe sighed and nodded.

Little Piper, little Phoebe, and Petey wandered over to Prue and Phoebe. Prue took hold of her little boy and he hugged her.

'Mummy!' said a delighted Petey.

'You are back,' said little Phoebe to Phoebe.

Phoebe smiled. 'Yeah, we're back again.' Then she directed a question at all three of the children: 'You haven't seen the two other people we were with earlier, have you?'

'They went upstairs with Grams a few minutes ago when Mummy screamed,' replied little Piper.

Prue and Phoebe exchanged worried looks and said at the same time: 'Nicholas.'

Prue put Petey back down on the ground and then followed Phoebe out into the foyer. They ducked back into the living room as they saw Piper and Paige being ushered down the stairs by Penny.

'Get out of my house! I never said you could come in!' Penny was shouting at them.

'We thought she was in danger when we heard the scream!' argued Paige.

'She is still in danger!' added Piper.

'I can handle any danger that comes in my family's way!' Penny said obstinately.

Piper, Paige, and Penny came to a stop in the foyer.

'All you have to do is ask Sam. He recognised us just now. He knows who we are. He knows we are not dangerous,' said Piper.

'If he knows who you are, then tell _me_ who you are,' said Penny firmly.

Piper bit her lip while she pondered how to answer. 'I don't know if we should.'

'Why shouldn't we? We told Sam,' said Paige. 'Besides it's not like we are going to be telling her that she has any extra grandchildren she does not know about.'

Penny narrowed her eyes. 'Grandchildren..?'

Just as Penny repeated the word, little Piper and little Phoebe came walking out of the living room.

'Piper, Phoebe. Go back into the other room. It's not safe out here,' said Penny.

'Why, Grams? We know those people. Besides we want to know if our little brother or sister is here yet,' said little Piper.

'You know these people?' said Penny, shocked.

'We told you that you can trust us,' said Paige.

'_Who are_ _you_?' Penny reiterated impatiently.

'Sorry. Did little Piper just say that Mum was giving birth?' asked Phoebe, as she and Prue finally moved out of their hiding place in the living room to join everyone in the foyer.

Penny threw her hands out in defence as Prue and Phoebe made their presence known. Prue and Phoebe were telekinetically thrown into the wall.

'What did you do that for?' cried little Phoebe, rushing over to her older self to help her to her feet.

Piper and Paige decided to help Prue stand back up. Petey made his way into the foyer and hugged Prue, hoping that she was not hurt.

'Little Piper… Mum…' muttered Penny, repeating Phoebe's words, as she looked at the four strange women and the little boy that she had never seen before that day. 'You are not trying to tell me that…'

'The four of them are your grandchildren from the future, which makes the little boy your great grandchild,' Sam confirmed for Penny.

Sam had made his way down the stairs and everyone now turned to face him.

Penny furrowed her brow. 'This cannot be… There's four of them… That would mean…'

Prue took this as her chance to finally gather the truth of her relation to the family.

'Did you give up your eldest grandchild when she was born?' asked Prue. 'Did your daughter give up her eldest child? Was that child's name Prudence Halliwell?'

Penny turned to face Prue. Her expression was as if she had seen a ghost. 'Prudence?'

Prue nodded hesitantly, unsure as to what to do next. Meanwhile Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged a smile, knowing now that there was no denying that Prue was their eldest sister.

The reunion was interrupted by a scream from upstairs. The four sisters, Penny, and Sam all ran upstairs, while the three children staid in the foyer.

The four sisters were the first to gain access to the bedroom. Patty was still lying on the bed, but Nicholas was standing in the corner of the room, pointing his ring at her.

'Give me immunity to their powers, Patty,' said Nicholas.

Nicholas noticed that there were now six extra adults in the room. He sneered. He did not seem fazed by the fact that he was outnumbered.

Penny and Sam pushed past the sisters. Sam ran to Patty's side to heal her in case she was hurt, while Penny began to telekinetically throw objects at Nicholas. The objects did not deter Nicholas. He pointed his ring at Penny and she fell to her knees in pain.

'No!' shouted Piper. In all the drama, she had forgotten that she was powerless. She automatically flicked her wrists towards Nicholas. A small explosion knocked him backwards and the entire force of it sent Nicholas smashing through the window.

With the ring no longer pointing at her, Penny was able to catch her breath. Prue and Paige helped Penny to her feet. Penny ran out of the room, muttering something about looking in the Book of Shadows for a vanquishing potion. She had already made it to the attic before any of the sisters could let her know that the Book had no useful information on Nicholas.

'How did you get your power to work, Piper?' Paige asked.

'I… I don't know…' said Piper, staring at her hands.

'Prue managed that earlier… She managed to use her telekinesis…' said Phoebe, connecting the dots. 'She was in the presence of her younger self back then. That's it! We can channel our powers from our younger selves!'

Prue, Piper, and Paige stared at Phoebe in awe.

'It makes the most logical sense,' said Phoebe in reply to their stares.

'Then maybe we could harness the Power of Thr – No. Four. Maybe we could harness the Power of Four to vanquish Nicholas,' suggested Paige.

This was the first time that Prue and Piper did not falter at the mention of the Power of Four as their connection had now been proved with actual evidence.

'We cannot vanquish Nicholas, because we don't want to create a paradox that stops ourselves from travelling back in time to stop the pact,' said Piper.

'What will stop him from attacking the manor for the next twenty or so years if he does not get immunity to our powers?' asked Paige.

'You have already answered it yourself: The Power of Four.'

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned to see who had spoken. It was Patty. She was still in pain from the labour but she had heard every word and Sam had updated her on everything that she needed to know about who the four women were.

'How?' asked Phoebe. 'We already said that we don't want to vanquish him in this time.'

'You use the Power of Four to freeze Nicholas for twenty or so years. When he unfreezes in your time, he will no longer be immune to your powers and you will be able to vanquish him,' explained Patty.

The four sisters stared at their mother in admiration.

Prue smiled at Patty. To break the silence all Prue could say was, 'Thank you.'

A loud crash came from the attic. Everyone exchanged worried looks.

'Uncle Sam, stay here and look after Mum,' said Piper. 'We will help Grams with the warlock.' Piper turned to Paige. 'Want to test out channelling your own power?'

Paige smiled and linked hands with Prue and Phoebe. Piper took Prue's other hand. Paige closed her eyes and concentrated on trying to channel the power to orb from her unborn self. Paige's smile grew as she felt the familiar sensation of orbing.

The four sisters had orbed into the attic. Pieces of furniture and antiques were randomly on fire; some cabinets were turned on their sides; and Grams and Nicholas stood at opposite ends of the attic, facing one another.

Still holding hands, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige began chanting a spell – it was as if they were able to read each others' minds as to what they should recite:

_'We call upon the Power of Four,_

_Harnessing our powers at the core._

_Freeze this warlock in the now and here,_

_For another twenty four years._

_When we will face him again,_

_When he will be vanquished with pain!'_

Nicholas scowled at the four sisters and went to point his ring at them. However, he suddenly found himself unable to move as he became as still as a statue.

Phoebe smiled and said, 'We'll see you in twenty four years!' as Nicholas disappeared out of sight, frozen in time.

'He's gone,' said Piper, relieved.

'We still have to face him when we get home,' Paige pointed out.

'Yes, but we know how we are going to vanquish him,' said Piper, optimistically. 'I am not worried about facing him when we get home.'

There was a scream from downstairs, followed by Sam shouting: 'Penny! Your daughter is about to give birth! You may want to get down here!'

Penny whispered a 'thank you' to the four sisters before running out of the attic. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged looks before running out of the attic. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were not going to miss the birth of their baby sister, while Paige was curious as to what she looked like as a new born baby.

* * *

**A/N:** The next chapter will be the last chapter of _TLCO_ to wrap the story up and get the Charmed Ones back to the present. Please review!


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** This is it - the final chapter. Thank you for following this fan fiction from start to finish! Please enjoy and review!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

When Penny reached the main landing outside Patty's bedroom, she found little Piper, little Phoebe, and Petey out in the hallway. She decided that it was best for her two grandchildren to go to bed.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige helped Penny in convincing little Piper and little Phoebe to go to bed faster than if Penny had been trying to persuade them by herself. Prue also managed to convince Petey to go and lie down for a nap, promising him that she would wake him when they were ready to return to their own time.

After the children were settled down in their own rooms, Penny asked Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige to remain in the hallway while she checked on Patty. The four sisters obliged.

While waiting in the hallway, Piper said, 'So are we planning to return to our own time as soon as we have met baby Paige?'

Prue nodded. 'I want to get back to Andy.'

'Remember, first things first will be vanquishing Nicholas,' Phoebe reminded her.

'I know, but with the Power of Four and his now lack of immunity, we will be fine,' said Prue, smiling.

'When do you think we can go in there?' Paige asked, motioning at the closed bedroom door.

'You want to meet yourself that much?' asked Phoebe with a smile.

'Well, each of you have all had the chance to meet your younger selves during this trip,' Paige said. 'It's my turn now.'

The four sisters suddenly heard three pairs of feet scampering down the hallway towards them. Little Piper, little Phoebe, and Petey were no longer asleep. Little Piper was holding a toy bear in her hands. They rushed past the four sisters and opened the bedroom door just as Sam was audible saying: 'I know, honey. That is why we won't let that happen.'

As little Piper and little Phoebe ran into the bedroom asking to see their new sister, the four sisters and Petey also decided to enter the room.

Patty was still lying on the bed, but she was sitting up now, and had tears in her eyes. It was difficult to tell whether they were tears of joy or tears of distress. Penny was standing to the right, a little peeved at the sight of her two granddaughters that were supposed to be in bed. Sam was holding baby Paige, wrapped in a towel, in his arms.

The four sisters remained by the door, smiling at the sight of baby Paige. Little Piper offered baby Paige her toy bear and baby Paige managed to telekinetically orb the toy bear into her hands.

'Yay! She loves Mr. Teddy Bear!' little Piper said happily.

Little Phoebe seemed a little grumpy at the sight of her baby sister's power. 'I want that power!'

At this point, Penny decided that little Piper and little Phoebe really should get back to bed so shooed them from the room, closing the door behind them. Penny turned back to the remaining members of the bedroom: Patty, Sam, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Petey, and baby Paige.

Sam was looking distressed. Patty had turned to him. The sisters and Penny had noticed this.

'Have the Elders just called for you?' Patty asked Sam.

Sam nodded. 'I think they know about Paige. Penny, I have to take Patty and Paige up there with me. Will you be okay looking after the girls?'

Penny nodded.

'How about us?' asked Prue.

'What do you mean? The five of you are going to go back to your own time now, aren't you?' asked Penny.

'Yes, but I cannot leave this place like this,' said Prue resolutely. 'We are going to go with you to speak to the… Elders… whoever they are.'

'Prue's right. We have to come with you,' said Paige. 'We can help you prove to those jerks up there that they cannot take another member of this family away from you.'

Sam glanced from the baby he held in his hands to the woman that had just spoken, comparing the baby with her adult self. He nodded. Sam orbed out with Patty, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and baby Paige – leaving Petey behind at the manor.

* * *

Sam had orbed them into a large great hall of some sort: Magic School. Patty sat down on a nearby chair and Sam put baby Paige in her arms. Meanwhile, Prue was stunned by the magnificent surroundings that she had found herself in. She was occupying herself with looking at some of the books on nearby shelves while they waited for the Elders to show up. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige joined Prue by the bookshelves. The three sisters that were used to this lifestyle had never seen or even heard of the place known as Magic School before this day. They were extremely taken aback by the extravagance of the place.

'Samuel Wilder, you were not supposed to bring anyone else other than yourself, Patricia Halliwell, and the baby!'

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned around from the bookshelves to notice that there were now three Elders in the great hall. The four sisters went to stand next to Sam, face to face with the Elders.

'_She_ has a name,' said Paige, annoyed. 'The baby is called Paige Halliwell. I think it is right that you address her by her name. She's not an object.'

'Excuse me?' said one of the Elders, astounded at how Paige had addressed her. 'How disrespectful! Who do you think you are?' The question was aimed at all four sisters, rather than just Paige.

'We are here to state the case for Patty, Sam, and baby Paige,' answered Piper.

'What makes you qualified to do that?' asked the same Elder.

'The fact that we know the results of this case,' Phoebe responded, smugly.

'How exactly would you have come to the conclusion that you already know what will happen?' asked one of the other Elders, intrigued to hear the response.

Prue smiled. 'This is Piper Halliwell; that's Phoebe Halliwell; and standing next to me here is Paige Halliwell. Oh, and lastly, I am Prudence Halliwell.'

If there was ever a sight where an Elder forgot their manners and their dignity for a brief moment as they dropped their jaws in surprise, now was that time, multiplied by three. All three Elders were gaping at the four women who claimed to be the future version of the Charmed Ones.

'Destiny brought the four of you back together…' muttered one of the Elders.

'It did, but that could never have happened if you took Paige away from the family as well as me,' said Prue. 'I accept the fact that I had to leave the family… Wait, _why_ did I have to leave the family?'

Patty spoke up in reply to this question. 'We never wanted you to, Prue. I would never have let them take you if I had been forewarned.'

'They? Who… Who took me away from you?' asked Prue quietly.

Piper was already glaring at the Elders, knowing that they were the answer.

'How dare you!' Piper shrieked at the Elders. 'Why would you do that to us?'

'What is the cost if destiny brought you back together anyway?' asked one of the Elders, unfazed by Piper's anger.

Phoebe scowled at the Elders. 'The cost was that we were not able to grow up with our eldest sister! We knew nothing of her existence until recently!'

'Why did you tear this family apart like that?' Paige asked the Elders, trying to remain calm as she spoke.

'The first born child born into a magical family is always the strongest. Add to that the fact that Prudence is a Charmed One and she is a valuable target for demons and all things evil,' explained one of the Elders.

Prue scoffed at the explanation, considering Sam's constant tracking of her younger self had struck the curiosity of dark lighters even though she had been taken away from her family.

'So if you know the future, what is the outcome of this case?' asked one of the Elders.

'You allow baby Paige to stay with her family,' began Phoebe.

'You clip Uncle Sam's wings,' continued Piper. 'Sorry about that, Uncle Sam.'

'As long as it means baby Paige can stay with her family then I do not mind,' said Sam.

'Also Mum and Grams will bind the three of our powers, including my white lighter abilities as part of the agreement,' concluded Paige.

Patty was shocked at this last condition. 'When did you get your powers back?'

'A few years ago,' said Piper. 'The details are not important.'

'We shall agree to those terms,' said one of the Elders.

The Elders transported the six adults and one baby back to Halliwell manor. After some brief words with Sam, Patty went to find Penny about writing the power binding spell.

Sam placed baby Paige down in her cot. He looked over at Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige as he said to the baby: 'You, Piper, and Phoebe will have to wait a long time before you find out about your big sister, Prudence Halliwell, but the wait will be worth it.'

* * *

**2001 – The Manor**

Cole shimmered into the living room of Halliwell manor. He had left the manor the day before when Andy had been freaking out about the existence of magic. Cole had spent that time shimmering around the underworld, trying to find out about any new evil looming to replace the vanquished Source.

In close to eighteen hours or so of research, Cole had been unsuccessful in finding an answer to his query. A run in with a group of four temperamental upper-level demons had caused Cole to return to the mausoleum. He was using these safe few minutes to recover from his victory in surviving the fight.

While resting in the mausoleum, Cole had decided to see if he could sense what was going on at the manor. Although his powers would not allow him to sense the presence of anyone good, he would be able to sense if an evil being was present at the manor. That is when he sensed it: A warlock at Halliwell manor.

Cole had immediately shimmered himself to the living room of Halliwell manor. That is where he stood now. Cole made his way to the staircase. He could hear footsteps on the floor above. Someone was heading for the attic. Cole ran up the stairs.

As Cole finally reached the attic steps, he hastily ran up them and rammed himself up against the closed attic door. However the closed attic door appeared to be blocked on the other side. Unsure of what was going on, Cole shimmered into the attic.

The first thing he noticed was the barrier of furniture blocking the attic door. Cole looked around to notice that the Book of Shadows was open. Slowly, Cole approached the Book, wondering what it was open to. However the Book sensed his demonic presence and flipped shut before he had had a chance to take a peak.

Cole frowned. A few questions were going through his mind: Where were Phoebe and her sisters? Where were Leo, that other white lighter, and Andy? Lastly, where was the warlock that Cole had sensed and why could he no longer sense him?

Cole shimmered out of the attic. He would leave the task of unblocking the attic door to someone else. Cole found himself wandering into the foyer. This is when he noticed that the front door was open and the foyer looked like it had been the scene of a fight.

As Cole shut the front door to stop the cold from entering the manor, he pondered what the outcome of the battle had been. Could it have been such a horrifying battle that in successfully vanquishing the warlock, the Halliwells had lost their lives? Cole shivered at the thought. He did not believe that he could live without Phoebe.

Cole's sombre thoughts were interrupted by the sound of jingling. Two columns of orbs coalesced into Leo and Kyle.

'Leo, I have never been so happy to see you,' said Cole, relieved to see someone that could locate Phoebe for him. Leo looked a little freaked out by Cole's grateful welcoming. Cole smirked at Leo's reaction before becoming serious as he continued with the matter at hand, 'I don't know where Phoebe or her sisters are. Can you sense her – them?'

Leo closed his eyes and began to try and sense for all four Halliwells. Prue had recently been made an official charge of his, so Leo could now sense for her too – or at least hear her calls if she was calling. Although he had not been addressed by Cole, Kyle decided to close his eyes and sense for Paige. She was not Kyle's charge, but Kyle seemed to have some sort of connection with her that allowed him to sense for her and hear her calls.

Leo opened his eyes after a few peaceful minutes. 'I can't sense any of them…'

At this moment of broken silence, Kyle decided to open his eyes too and report his findings. 'I cannot sense Paige either.'

Cole furrowed his brow. 'I better go to the underworld and try to find them.'

Leo grasped Cole's shoulder before he had a chance to shimmer out. Leo shook his head.

'They're not in the underworld, Cole,' said Leo. 'If they were in the underworld, I would still have a very faint sense of them, even if I would be unable to locate them.'

'What are you implying?' Cole asked.

Leo hesitated before saying, 'It's like they don't exist.'

Cole took a few steps back, only stopping when he bumped into the front door. Leo was forced to relinquish his grip from Cole's shoulder.

'Leo, they can't not exist,' said Cole. 'That's not possible.'

Kyle felt like Cole was disregarding him, not designating him important enough to get any consideration. However Kyle knew that what he was about to say would get Cole's attention.

'We may be unable to sense any of them, and that may mean that they do not exist, but that could easily mean that they are in another time,' said Kyle. He smiled at Cole's reactions to his words.

'Another time? Do you mean to imply that they time travelled?' asked an intrigued Cole.

Kyle shrugged. 'It's just an assumption.'

The doorbell rang. Cole moved away from the door and Leo answered it and let Andy in.

'Hi. Can I speak to Prue?' Andy asked, noticing that neither his wife or the Halliwell sisters were present.

Cole, Leo, and Kyle exchanged awkward glances.

'You may want to ask that in another tense, if what we think has happened has actually happened,' said Cole.

Andy looked incredibly confused by this statement. 'What are you on about? I spoke to Prue on the phone this morning. She knew I was on my way here.'

'I am sure she still does know you are on your way here,' said Cole, mockingly. 'Either that or she knew you _were_ on your way here, or _will be_ on your way here.'

'What?' said Andy. He was quickly getting annoyed at Cole's mocking tone. The only memory Andy had of Cole was of the man who had shimmered them from a beam of the Golden Gate Bridge into Halliwell manor. Cole had terrified Andy with the revelation of magic. Therefore, Andy had taken an immediate dislike to Cole. The unhelpful replies that Cole kept providing were not helping to improve Andy's perception of him. 'Where is she?'

'She _was_ here. She probably _will be_ here again. She's definitely not here _presently_ though,' said Cole, smirking.

Stepping in between Andy and Cole before Andy decided to throw a punch at the demon, Leo said, 'Andy, we think she and the sisters have travelled in time.'

'What? When? Where? How?' asked Andy.

'We don't know,' Kyle replied.

'Why don't you check with the Elders?' asked Cole, who was back to being serious. He would not have cared quite as much as he did if Phoebe was not involved. 'That's what you white lighters are good for! Go and check with the Elders! They might know!'

Leo and Kyle exchanged looks. Cole noticed the tonal shift in their expressions.

'What?' asked Cole.

'The reason we weren't here at the manor was because we were up there speaking to the Elders,' said Leo.

'Did they know this was going to happen?' asked Cole.

'No… They didn't mention anything about this… We were speaking to them about something else,' said Kyle.

'Then what's that got anything to do with anything? Go back up there and find out about Phoebe and the others!' Cole demanded.

Andy was suddenly doing something that he had never expected he would be doing a few minutes ago. He was siding with Cole.

'We all obviously know nothing. These Elder people might know what happened to Prue and the Halliwell sisters,' said Andy. 'Please, go and find out.'

Kyle sighed. 'You don't understand. We don't nee –'

'Wait,' Leo interrupted suddenly. His eyes wandered upwards. 'They're back… I can sense them… They're here…'

'Here? They're back?' said Andy hopefully.

Andy went to run upstairs, but Cole shimmered in the way of the stairs, blocking the route from Andy.

'What are you doing?' asked Andy, his dislike for Cole suddenly returning.

'They may be back, but it looks like their warlock friend is back too. I can sense him,' said Cole. 'Andy, you should stay here. Leo and white lighter guy that I cannot remember the name of, follow me.'

'Kyle,' said a disgruntled Kyle.

'I know it's sounds alike, but the name's Cole, not Kyle,' said Cole, making his way up the stairs, with Leo and Kyle following.

'No! I'm Ky –' Kyle was cut short by a blast from the attic which was accompanied with a male voice screaming and the manor trembling a little.

Cole, Leo, and Kyle now broke into a run towards the attic. Andy was not far behind them as he had not been prepared to wait around downstairs. The attic doors had been burst open – the debris of the furniture barrier littered the attic floor – and the four Halliwell sisters – with Petey – stood side by side near the Book of Shadows. Each of the Halliwell sisters wore a triumphant smile. There was ash on the floorboards in the space between the four men and the four sisters.

'Isn't this a nice welcome from our guys? All of them deciding to greet us at the attic after our successful vanquish,' said a cheery Phoebe, walking past the ashes and wrapping her arms around Cole's shoulders.

'There was a warlock?' said Cole.

'We vanquished him,' said Prue, picking up Petey, and approaching Andy.

'Wasn't there something about time travel too?' asked Andy, a little puzzled.

Piper shrugged and said, 'Been there, done that.' Leo wandered over to her and hugged her.

Paige looked over at Kyle. 'Got anything to add?' she asked him.

'Only that I need to speak to you… in private,' said Kyle.

Paige's smile vanished. She grabbed Kyle's hand and orbed them into the conservatory. Kyle walked over to one of the windows and looked out of it. Paige waited for him to begin.

* * *

Prue, Andy, and Petey had sat down in the living room of the manor.

'So you are absolutely okay with this magic stuff?' Prue asked Andy.

Andy nodded. 'As long as you are. Although I have to say that I won't stand back and let you confront demons by yourself.'

'I won't be by myself,' said Prue. She smiled. 'I have my sisters.'

* * *

Phoebe and Cole had remained in the attic. Phoebe was flicking through the Book of Shadows, smiling away. She was not looking for anything in particular. She was wasting time while she pondered whether Cole had remembered after all this time that he had met her and Prue in the late seventies.

Cole had remained silent. He was watching Phoebe flick through the Book of Shadows. He was happy to know that she was back and safe.

Without looking up from the Book, Phoebe said slyly, 'So what do you think of Bowen?'

Cole raised an eyebrow. 'Bowen?'

Phoebe grinned. 'My eldest sister. The one that travelled _back in time_ with Piper, Paige, and I.'

'Bowen…' repeated Cole without the quizzical tone, as if he was starting to connect the word with something.

'Yeah. My eldest sister and I took a trip into the underworld,' said Phoebe. 'We made a good demon fighting duo. Yeah. Russell and Bowen is how I believe one demon put it.'

'Russell and Bowen…' murmured Cole. Then his frown became a smile. 'Russell and Bowen! You! The underworld! Some docks in Portland!'

Phoebe nodded, smiling at the fact that Cole had finally remembered.

* * *

Piper and Leo were sat down in their bedroom.

'So?' Piper asked Leo. 'What did they say?'

'I turned down the promotion,' said Leo.

'There were no conditions or consequences?' asked Piper, unconvinced that the Elders would ever let anything be that simple.

'They made a decision to offer the promotion to someone else,' said Leo.

Piper did not care who. All she cared was that Leo was going to be staying. She kissed him.

* * *

Kyle finally turned around from the window in the conservatory to face Paige. After much hesitation, he was ready to voice what had been bothering him.

'When I went up there with Leo to support him in declining the promotion offer, the Elders were very curious about me,' said Kyle slowly.

'Hang on. The Elders let Leo off the hook without some sort of ultimatum about the consequences of turning down their offer?' said Paige. From what she knew about the Elders, being so lenient seemed like an uncharacteristic move for them.

'Yeah. That's because the Elders had been tracking me for a while and had figured out from other snooping white lighters about my history,' explained Kyle. 'The Elders were willing to allow Leo's rejection if I took it up instead.'

'What?' said Paige, surprised. 'Why?'

'They know that I know things that they don't. It's kind of a perk from being brought from the future of an alternate timeline,' said Kyle, in a tone that suggested that this was an everyday event.

'You didn't have to accept it,' said Paige, a little disheartened by the thought that Kyle would be going up there.

'I had to,' said Kyle, frowning. 'The choice was that I either take the offer up instead of Leo, or… or…' Kyle trailed off, looking down at the floor.

'Or what, Kyle?' asked Paige inquisitively.

Kyle gulped. He looked up at Paige. 'Or the Elders would send me back to my own time. My own universe.'

'Isn't that what you wanted all along?' Paige asked, not fazed by the unsympathetic approach that Elders had to giving people choices. 'I thought you always wanted to go back there.'

'I did… but then I realised that… staying in this universe… I could be with you…' said Kyle.

'What happened to me in your universe?' Paige asked.

'I was never allowed to see you as I was busy with charges and before I knew it, you were married to some guy,' said Kyle, scowling.

Paige's eyes widened. 'Me? Married? Really? To who?'

Kyle furrowed his brow. 'You'd rather meet him now instead of talk to me?'

Paige smiled at hearing these words. Seeing her smile made Kyle smile. Paige hugged Kyle.

'You may be an Elder now, but you better orb down here every second of every minute of every hour of every day,' said Paige.

* * *

A few minutes later, Paige and Kyle entered the living room. Prue, Andy, Petey, Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Cole were all in there already. Prue and Andy were about to go home with Petey, so Prue was saying goodbye to her sisters.

'Can I expect this demon vanquishing gig to be a regular thing?' Prue asked.

Phoebe let out a small laugh. 'Demons don't exactly stick to a schedule. It would be nice if there was a schedule though: Once a week, taking place in one particular hour – that hour slot would need twenty minutes worth of commercials, so maybe only forty-ish minutes of demon fighting each week. That would definitely be simpler than how we have it.'

'Besides, we're sisters,' said Piper. 'We expect you here for family stuff too now.'

Paige nodded in agreement. 'Sisters before witches. That's how it's supposed to be.'

'You're coming for dinner tomorrow,' said Piper.

Prue smiled. 'I guess I don't have a choice. Looking forward to it.'

The four sisters linked arms as they made their way into the foyer. As they passed under the chandelier, a glistening blue glow shone down around them.

As the glow faded away the four sisters exchanged glances. With the revelation of a fourth sister, of an eldest Charmed One, the Charmed prophecy had changed forever. However, with the presence of magic or not, the revelation had changed the Halliwell family for the better.


End file.
